The most noble the marquis of Lansdowne, K.G. c. 1893 - 1903

This photograph of the Marquis of Lansdowne was made by Russell & Sons, a London photographic firm. The image is a silver print, a process perfected in the mid-19th century. The process involves coating paper with a light-sensitive emulsion of silver nitrate and other chemicals, then exposing it to light through a negative. The resulting latent image is then chemically developed and fixed. The silvery sheen and fine detail, so different from the pixelated images we are used to seeing today, are due to the arrangement of metallic silver particles within the paper's fibers. Photography transformed portraiture, making it more accessible. Before, only the wealthy could afford to commission painted portraits. This photographic print democratized image-making, although access remained stratified by class, as the Marquis's portrait signals through his dignified pose. This art historical object challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft by demonstrating the intersection of science, labor, and aesthetics.