Massachusetts Hall (with figures) 1861 - 1866

Editor: So, this is "Massachusetts Hall (with figures)" by George Kendall Warren. It looks like a photograph, a warm-toned print. It makes me think about the history of the building; what was it like to make this image back then? What can we say about the materials and the means of production? Curator: Precisely. The albumen print was a dominant form of photographic reproduction at the time. Understanding that the image is not just *of* the building, but *an object itself*, tells us about labor, materiality, and consumption. Consider the resources required to produce the glass plate negative, the albumen paper itself, and the labor involved in printing. Editor: That’s fascinating. So, it’s not just a picture of Massachusetts Hall; it’s also an artifact with its own story embedded in its making. I never thought about it that way. Curator: Exactly! And how does that affect our understanding of the building itself? By extension, what does it say about the cultural values of the time this image was made? Editor: I see... It’s like the photo is a product of its time, reflecting the social and economic conditions that made it possible. Thanks, that’s a totally different way to approach the image.