Zittende vrouw met een koto in een interieur before 1892

Editor: This is an interesting spread from William Kinnimond Burton's *Zittende vrouw met een koto in een interieur*, created before 1892. It appears to be a printed photograph within the pages of a book. The narrative surrounding the photograph has me intrigued... what do you see in this work? Curator: I see a fascinating interplay between the supposed high art of photography and the lower art of the printed word. Burton was clearly invested in the materiality of image making and the reproduction of such imagery. Think of the social context in which these images were being produced and consumed – what was the printing process? Editor: It does look like a mechanically reproduced image. I wonder what kind of printing was used to replicate the photograph on the page? Curator: Exactly! Consider the labour involved. The making of this print versus a singular photograph speaks volumes about access and audience. Who could afford a photograph? Who had access to books and print? These considerations blur traditional boundaries between high and low culture. This changes the meaning embedded in it. Editor: So, the context of mass production gives it new meaning in comparison to something hand made. Do you think that changes how people view this? Curator: Absolutely. The consumption is equally as important to consider. How did printed photography impact the circulation of images and ideas, and subsequently, the representation of culture and identity? The act of distributing and standardising a photo transforms its fundamental purpose, right? Editor: That’s a great point; I never considered how printing could change how a work is viewed so significantly! Curator: Precisely. It encourages us to critically engage with materiality of the photographic image and to question preconceived notions of artistic value and production.