Tanika Purnell, St. Gabriel, Louisiana 2 - 2001

Deborah Luster made this portrait of Tanika Purnell in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, using a photographic technique called tintype. Instead of modern film, Luster uses a thin sheet of blackened metal as the base. It's coated with light-sensitive chemicals, exposed in the camera, and then developed on the spot. This direct, manual process results in a unique, one-off image with a distinctive look. The tintype process, popular in the 19th century, democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a wider population. Luster's choice of this historical technique carries social significance. The resulting image has an antiquated feel, which in turn lends a timelessness and dignity to her subject. We are reminded that photography is always a constructed thing, and that the means of production are as important as the image itself. It is a form of craft that elevates the sitter, who might otherwise be overlooked.