Portret van Yuroo Kahn, een man van de Khosa-stam before 1872

This is a portrait of Yuroo Kahn of the Khosa tribe, captured by Henry Charles Baskerville Tanner. It’s a photograph, a material outcome of chemical processes and optics. Consider the wet plate collodion process likely used here. It was a laborious procedure. Each image required coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then immediately developing it. It speaks volumes about the effort involved in image-making during this period, especially when documenting individuals from distant lands. The choice of photography itself tells a story. Unlike painting or drawing, it offered a seemingly objective record. In the context of colonial encounters, this technology was often employed to classify and document other cultures, sometimes reinforcing power dynamics. So, the next time you look at an old photograph, remember the intricate process behind it and how these techniques have shaped our understanding of different cultures.