Fotoreproductie van een schilderij, voorstellende koning Lodewijk XVI van Frankrijk en koningin Marie-Antoinette tijdens de belegering van het Paleis van Versailles c. 1875 - 1890

Here is a photographic reproduction of a painting depicting King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette during the siege of the Palace of Versailles. It’s a small print, made using the wet collodion process, a photographic technique which involves coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive chemical emulsion before exposing it in a camera. The process collapses time: It shows us the royals under duress and the print itself was made during a moment of extreme social upheaval and technological advancement. Look closely at the final result, and you can see the traces of skilled labor involved in its production, from the preparation of the collodion emulsion to the careful arrangement of the composition. The photograph also speaks to the increasing democratization of art in the 19th century, where it allowed for wider distribution and consumption of imagery, thus challenging traditional hierarchies of artistic production. By focusing on the material and social context of this photograph, we can gain a deeper understanding of its cultural significance and the complex relationship between art, technology, and society.