Portret van een man 1859 - 1870

Eduard Fuchs made this small photographic portrait. The albumen print was the dominant photographic process of the mid-19th century. Creating these images was a multistep process that required a high degree of technical skill. The process involved coating paper with a mixture of egg white and salt, then sensitizing it with silver nitrate. The print was made by placing a negative on the prepared paper and exposing it to sunlight. The tones here - sepia, brown, cream - come from the reaction of silver salts on the paper’s surface. Although photography seems instantaneous, in fact, images like this were skillfully created in a darkroom, transforming the sitter's likeness into something permanent. The final product was then mounted onto card stock. Understanding the labor and skill involved in processes like albumen printing helps us to appreciate the transition of photography from a scientific curiosity to a widespread means of capturing images and a growing commercial market. In the end, all art emerges from tangible effort.