Vier mannen in de tuin van Villa Sofia in Palermo c. 1856 - 1914

This albumen print of four men in the garden of Villa Sofia in Palermo was captured by Giuseppe Incorpora. The albumen print process, popular in the 19th century, involved coating paper with egg white and then sensitizing it with a silver nitrate solution. The inherent qualities of this method—the way the albumen creates a smooth, light-sensitive surface—influence the photograph's fine detail and tonal range. This was not a quick snapshot; the process required careful preparation and exposure. Incorpora, as a photographer, relied on skilled darkroom labor to produce the final print. The very act of posing these men within this cultivated landscape, itself a product of labor and careful arrangement, reflects a social context of leisure and privilege. By considering the materials and making of this print, we begin to see how photography, even in its early days, was deeply entwined with social structures. It challenges any straightforward distinction between art and craft.