Portret van de schilder Joseph-Laurens Dijckmans, halffiguur 1861

Joseph Dupont made this photographic portrait of the painter Joseph-Laurens Dijckmans sometime in the 19th century. The image, likely a salted paper print, reflects the convergence of chemistry, optics, and artistic vision. Photography, from its inception, was deeply intertwined with industrial and capitalist modes of production. The materials—paper, glass, and various chemical compounds—were all products of factories. The process of creating a photograph involved skilled labor, from the preparation of the chemicals to the careful manipulation of light and shadow. The photograph’s sepia tones and soft focus give it a painterly quality, blurring the lines between art and craft, as well as between hand production and industrial means. Consider the labor involved in the entire supply chain that enabled this image to be created, from the mining of silver for the photographic emulsion to the milling of wood for the paper. By understanding the materials, processes, and social context of this photograph, we can appreciate its significance as a cultural artifact that transcends traditional art historical boundaries.