Portret van Jeanne en Rosa Asser c. 1846

Editor: This is "Portret van Jeanne en Rosa Asser," a photograph from around 1846 by Eduard Isaac Asser, a gelatin-silver print. It's…striking how raw and unrefined it looks compared to contemporary portrait photography. What aspects of its materiality stand out to you? Curator: Immediately, I'm drawn to the visible scratches and imperfections on the gelatin silver. These aren't flaws, but rather evidence of the object’s life, its handling, and the labor involved in its creation. The physical process of developing a photograph in 1846, the very hands that touched this object— those details speak volumes. Does it change your perception to think of this photograph as a handcrafted object? Editor: Absolutely. Thinking about the labor involved makes me see it as less of a window onto the past and more like an artifact, a physical embodiment of a moment in time. Curator: Consider also the social context. Photography in 1846 wasn't the ubiquitous consumer product it is today. What would it have meant for these sisters, Jeanne and Rosa, to sit for this portrait? To participate in this relatively new and complex process? How might this new technology of photography impact society? Editor: I hadn't really considered the social impact of early photography like that before. I suppose it’s easy to forget how revolutionary the process once was. Curator: Exactly. By focusing on the material and social aspects, we move beyond merely admiring the image and start to analyze photography as a form of production and consumption. We begin to unpack the historical significance through tangible elements. Editor: So by considering process and materiality, it's more about deconstructing how an artwork like this came into being. Thanks, it’s a different way of thinking about art. Curator: Precisely, seeing beyond the image and focusing on the labor and circumstances really brings it all to life.