Tweemaal een gezicht op Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico en haar inwoners before 1883

R.D. Cleveland’s photographs show two views of Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico and its inhabitants. The images are albumen prints, created using a process popular in the 19th century. Paper coated with albumen, derived from egg whites, was sensitized with silver nitrate and exposed to light through a negative, then toned and fixed. The albumen process yielded prints of remarkable detail and tonal range, but it was labor-intensive and commercially driven. It was part of the wider industrialization of photography, which made images widely available as never before. Cleveland’s choice of subject matter is telling. The photographs depict a Native American community, a subject that was of great interest to a growing consumer market. While the photographs may appear documentary, they are also products of a specific time and place, reflecting the complex relationship between photography, commerce, and representation. The medium itself bears traces of this history, reminding us that seeing is never a neutral act.