Untitled (Ms Schürmann) after 1925

Editor: This is an untitled portrait of Ms. Schürmann by Hugo Erfurth, created after 1925. It’s a gelatin-silver print on paper, and something about the precise gradations of tone makes it feel so modern, yet grounded in craft. What can you tell me about the materials and techniques used here, and how they relate to the artistic context of the time? Curator: What interests me most is how Erfurth, trained in traditional photography, embraces modernism through his mastery of the gelatin-silver process. Look closely. Notice the deliberate choices in exposure, the tonal range he coaxes from the materials. Photography, particularly portraiture, was rapidly industrializing, shifting towards mass production. Editor: Right, with photography becoming more accessible. Curator: Exactly. But Erfurth resists this total commodification. He isn't just pointing and shooting; he's manipulating the materials, reclaiming a sense of artistry through process. How do you see this playing into the broader social and economic changes after World War I? Editor: So it's a rejection of mass production in favor of a return to individualized skill and quality… Curator: In part. But also, think about the sitter, Ms. Schürmann. Who was she? How does Erfurth's approach to capturing her likeness, the materiality of the image itself, influence our understanding of her place in society? He elevates photography to art through painstaking hand-printing techniques while participating in the portraiture market. The means of its production is very important. Editor: It's amazing how considering the process of creation gives us such a richer perspective on the work. Curator: Precisely! Considering the materiality offers us more insights into its cultural values, production constraints and the artistic values of its context.