Huis aan een laan 1886

This photograph, "Huis aan een laan", was taken by Kassian Céphas using a wet-collodion process. This technique required coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. The sepia tones of the print reveal its age and the chemicals used. The process itself was labor-intensive, demanding skilled darkroom work and immediate action to capture the image before the collodion dried. Though photography was becoming more widespread, the wet-collodion process required expertise. The photograph’s material presence as a carefully composed print reminds us that even seemingly straightforward images are the result of complex, skilled, and historically situated practices. It encourages us to consider the photographer's role not just as a recorder, but as a craftsperson manipulating materials to create meaning.