Autocoureur Pinson, deelnemer aan de Tour de France voor automobielen, op een landweg in Vitry-le-François Possibly 1899

This is a photograph by Delizy, which captures ‘Autocoureur Pinson’ participating in the Tour de France for automobiles. The sepia tones speak to the early days of photography, a medium still finding its feet at the intersection of science and art. We can almost feel the grit of the dirt road in Vitry-le-François, a texture beautifully rendered by the early photographic process. But let's think about the machine itself. The automobile embodies the industrial revolution, a product of intense labor and material extraction, from iron ore to rubber plantations. Consider too the social implications: this ‘Tour de France for automobiles’ would have been an emblem of luxury, a spectacle for the wealthy, while the majority still relied on more traditional modes of transport. Photographs like this remind us that every object, every image, is embedded in a web of material and social relations. They challenge us to look beyond the surface and consider the human effort that goes into everything we see.