Officieel gebouw 1863 - 1869

This stereoscopic photograph shows an official building, and was made by Woodbury and Page, though the exact date is unknown. The photographic process itself is significant. In this era, photography was both a scientific marvel and a commercial enterprise. The albumen print, made from a glass negative, speaks volumes about labor and class. The meticulous process of coating paper with albumen, exposing it to light, and then carefully developing the image, demanded skilled hands. Photographers like Woodbury and Page often operated studios in colonial contexts, employing local workers. These workers contributed to the creation of images that reinforced colonial power structures and exoticized indigenous populations. The photograph’s sharp detail and tonal range, achieved through the albumen process, invited viewers to marvel at the architecture, and perhaps overlook the unseen labor that went into its making. Considering the hands that produced this photograph encourages us to question conventional art distinctions.