Portret van een vrouw 1880 - 1920

This is a photographic portrait of a woman, created by the Northern Photographic Co. In the early days of photography, the process of capturing an image involved meticulous work. This print would have begun with coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive emulsion. After exposure in the camera, the plate was developed, fixed, and then used to create prints on photographic paper, like the one we see here. The tones of the image, ranging from warm sepia to cooler grays, are the direct result of the chemical processes used. The texture is smooth with a slight sheen, due to the gelatin coating on the paper. The production of photographs like these became widespread as photographic studios sprung up to meet the demand of a burgeoning middle class, allowing more people to participate in the creation and consumption of images. Looking closely at the materials and making of this photograph allows us to connect it to wider issues of labor, consumption, and the democratization of image-making, forever blurring the lines between fine art and craft.