A. Baerselman zittend in een tuin met een mand op haar schoot c. 1865 - 1900

Laurens Lodewijk Kleijn created this photograph of A. Baerselman sitting in a garden in the 19th century. It was made using the wet collodion process, a complex and painstaking technique where a glass plate is coated, sensitized, exposed in a camera, and developed, all before the coating dries. This method demanded a high degree of skill. Each photograph was a unique, unrepeatable object, unlike today's mass-produced images. You can see the delicate tonal range achieved despite the technical challenges. The focus isn't just on the subject, but on the act of capturing light and shadow itself. Think about the labor involved – the preparation of the chemicals, the darkroom work, the precise timing. Photography at this time wasn't instant or casual. It involved significant work. This photograph should remind us that every image has a material basis and a history of production, and that even today, these factors shape how we see and understand the world.