Plein met afgodsbeelden te Bogolo 1896

Franz Thonner made this photogravure of a village in the Congo, likely around the turn of the twentieth century. Photogravure is an intaglio printmaking process that involves etching a photographic image onto a metal plate, and then using that plate to make prints. This elaborate process can be seen as a precursor to mass media, and indeed, was used to mass distribute photographic images in books and magazines at the time. The fine detail and tonal range visible here speak to the laborious and precise work required to produce the plates. In this case, Thonner documented the village of Bogolo in a way that exoticized its inhabitants. The title, 'Square with Idol Images at Bogolo', highlights the cultural difference between the European photographer and the Congolese. In fact, the image becomes a kind of commodity, consumed by Europeans eager to learn about their colonial possessions. Paying attention to the historical processes, materiality, and context helps us understand how photography, like many other seemingly straightforward crafts, participates in larger systems of power.