Gebouw en steiger aan de Wolga 1903 - 1904

This photograph, "Gebouw en steiger aan de Wolga," captures a building and scaffolding on the Volga River, and was made by Joseph Cheetham. The photograph itself, printed on albumen silver, speaks to the transformative power of industrial chemistry in the 19th century, and its effects on the very nature of seeing. A moment captured, made permanent. The tonal range of the print—the subtle gradations from light to dark—are a direct result of the chemical process involved, making the water glisten and the wooden structures appear solid and real. Yet, the very act of taking and distributing photographs also had a profound social significance. It democratized image-making, allowing scenes like this one, of everyday life on the Volga, to be captured, shared, and contemplated far beyond their immediate context. The process of photography, therefore, is not just a technical matter; it's a social one, forever changing our relationship to representation and reality.