Portret van een vrouw met muts in de hand, staand bij een stoel 1860 - 1900

This portrait of a woman with a bonnet was created by Gush & Ferguson, using the wet collodion process. This photographic technique, popular in the mid-19th century, involved coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive chemical emulsion. The resulting image has a distinctive tonal range and clarity, visible in the sitter's face and dress. The process demanded considerable skill, and a portable darkroom for on-site development. Look closely, and you can see the subtle variations and imperfections of the collodion, revealing the hand-made nature of the image. Beyond the technical, consider the social context. Photography at this time was a specialized service, not yet the everyday practice it is today. This portrait likely represents a deliberate act of self-representation by the sitter, intended to convey status and respectability. It serves as a reminder that all forms of image-making are intertwined with labor, technology, and social aspiration.