Straatgezicht in Băile Herculane 1860 - 1880

This photograph of a street view in Băile Herculane was made by Carl Händl, using the refined photographic techniques of the time. The albumen print, made from a glass negative, has a sepia tone, which lends a sense of timelessness. Notice the sharp details: the texture of the mountains, the building's architectural features, and the people gathered at the entrance, all achieved through the wet collodion process. This complex procedure required the photographer to coat a glass plate with chemicals, expose it in the camera while still wet, and then develop it immediately. The making of photographs in this period involved a considerable amount of labor, with practitioners meticulously preparing their materials. The resulting images captured the aspirations of a society eager to document and promote itself. Understanding the material and processes employed by Händl allows us to appreciate the cultural and technological context of the time, and question how it fits within both the history of photography and the depiction of the world.