Gezicht op het grafmonument van Jan van Galen in de Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam 1860 - 1885

This photograph by Pieter Oosterhuis captures the monument of Jan van Galen in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. It's a stereoscopic albumen print, a process involving coating paper with egg white to create a glossy surface for the silver-based photographic emulsion. The choice of albumen printing is significant. It was a popular method in the mid-19th century because it allowed for sharp detail and tonal range, essential for rendering the ornate qualities of the monument. It also speaks to the rise of photography as a commercial enterprise, with studios mass-producing images for public consumption. Consider the labor involved: from preparing the paper, to exposing and developing the print. This was skilled work, often divided among studio workers, reflecting the increasing division of labor characteristic of industrializing societies. Photography, like craft, requires immense knowledge, skill, and time, but has often been excluded from the fine arts canon. This photograph asks us to consider the historical context and the social implications embedded within the making of images.