Zestien portretten van actrices before 1893

This is Nadar's "Zestien portretten van actrices", a photographic print now held at the Rijksmuseum. Photography in the 19th century was far from the point-and-shoot ease we know today. It was a complex alchemy, demanding a mastery of chemistry and mechanics. Nadar, a pioneer in the field, would have used a large format camera, coated glass plates with light-sensitive emulsion, exposed the image, and then developed the plate in a darkroom. What's striking here is the serial presentation. These aren't just portraits; they're a study in celebrity, carefully composed and reproduced. Each print, though small, would have required considerable effort to produce, highlighting the labour involved in creating and distributing images in a pre-digital age. The arrangement on the page speaks to the rise of mass media and the commodification of fame. Ultimately, this work reminds us that even seemingly straightforward images are the product of complex technical processes and social forces.