Gezicht op het Lauterbunnental 1897

This photograph, titled "Gezicht op het Lauterbunnental," captures a Swiss landscape, made by an anonymous photographer, using a process that was, at the time, rapidly transforming both art and society. Photography is a peculiar medium. Its apparent indexicality – that is, its seemingly direct correspondence to the real world – belies the elaborate labor it entails. Think of the forestry that went into making the paper, the mining and manufacturing of the chemicals needed for development, the factories where cameras and lenses are produced. All these processes have entirely transformed our relationship to the world, our perception of it. The black and white tones, and the crisp detail of the Lauterbrunnen Valley captured here, are the result of a complex interplay between light, chemistry, and skilled darkroom work. This image raises questions about who had access to this technology, and whose vision of the world was being circulated, and consumed, as a result. Ultimately, considering the making of an artwork, be it a photograph or other medium, allows us to understand its full cultural significance.