Schrijvende vrouw aan een tafel before 1896

Constant Puyo's photograph, *Schrijvende vrouw aan een tafel*, shows a woman at a table writing, rendered in gelatin silver print, a process that gained popularity in the late 19th century due to its efficiency and reproducibility. Puyo skillfully employs the gelatin silver process to capture a subtle range of tones, creating a soft, almost painterly effect. The process involves coating a paper base with a light-sensitive emulsion, exposing it to light through a negative, and then developing the image. What makes this process so compelling is its capacity to capture detail and texture. The gelatin silver print democratized photography, making it more accessible to amateur photographers and commercial enterprises alike. This accessibility ties into the wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. This particular image highlights the artist's manipulation of light and shadow, using this industrial process of photography, to create a work of art. Ultimately, understanding the materiality and production process of the gelatin silver print helps us appreciate its role in shaping visual culture.