Gezicht op het Kasteel van Chambéry 1903

This photograph, ‘Gezicht op het Kasteel van Chambéry’ by Delizy, captures a view of Chambéry Castle in a way that reflects the changing technology of image-making. Photography, as a medium, democratized portraiture and landscape art. The image is small, a size easily made in multiples, unlike a painting. Photography’s inherent ability to capture detail is clear in the textures of the stone, brick, and foliage. It's not just a romantic depiction; it's a study in materiality. The photograph is a crafted object as well, a product of chemical processes and labor-intensive darkroom work. Consider the social context, too. The rise of photography coincided with the growth of tourism and the middle class. Images like this allowed people to collect views of distant places, feeding a desire for exploration. The ease with which photographs could be reproduced changed our relationship to art itself, challenging its status as a unique, handmade object. Photography's contribution to visual culture is immense, influencing everything from fine art to mass media.