Isabel Wachenheimer in de woonkamer, 1936, Stuttgart 1936 - 1937

This photograph of Isabel Wachenheimer in her Stuttgart living room was taken by a member of the Wachenheimer family in 1936. It is printed on paper, likely developed using a silver gelatin process, a technique that renders a wide range of gray tones, as we see here. The photographic print offers a fascinating window into the Wachenheimer family's daily life. What are the material conditions of this image? Photography in the 1930s depended on industrial production: of cameras, film, and the chemicals used for developing. The image shows how industrialization enabled the creation of personal family archives, shaping collective memory. Consider the labor involved in producing such an image, from manufacturing photographic materials to the labor of developing and printing. This photograph represents a nexus of industrial production, domestic life, and personal memory. It reminds us that even the most intimate images are shaped by broader economic and social forces.