Façade van het Palazzo Carignano te Turijn, Italië 1864 - 1881

Giacomo Brogi captured this photographic print of the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, Italy, sometime in the mid-19th century. Photography at this time was a chemical process as much as an aesthetic one. The wet collodion process used here demanded meticulous preparation and timing. Glass plates were coated with light-sensitive chemicals, exposed in the camera while still wet, and then developed immediately. This difficult, painstaking craft resulted in images with remarkable detail and tonal range, as you can see in the textures of the building’s facade. Consider too, the social context. Photography democratized image-making, allowing for the mass production of views and portraits, and a shift away from painting which had been the preserve of the wealthy. Brogi, as a commercial photographer, was part of this shift, catering to a growing middle class eager to possess images of their world. It’s a reminder that every photograph is not just an image, but also the result of labor, skill, and a specific technological moment. It shows how deeply intertwined art and the modes of production can be.