Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1866 - 1885

This photographic portrait of an unknown woman was made by A. & G. Taylor, who proudly called themselves ‘Photographers to the Queen.’ In the nineteenth century, photography democratized portraiture. Suddenly, it wasn't just the wealthy who could have their likeness recorded. While painting and sculpture had long been associated with artistic skill, photography emerged from scientific experimentation. It relied on an understanding of chemistry, optics and mechanics. The production of a photograph involved many hands: camera and lens makers, paper manufacturers, darkroom assistants and the photographers themselves. All of these people were cogs in the machine of image production, bringing photographic portraits to a wider public. These photographic studios were as much businesses, as they were the domain of skilled individuals. Consider all this the next time you see an early photograph. Think about the sheer amount of work that went into it, and how images such as these transformed visual culture.