Schip Hohenzollern vaart een haven binnen 1889

Paul Güssfeldt captured this image of the ship Hohenzollern entering a harbor using photography, a medium that was rapidly evolving in the late 19th century. Photography, unlike painting or sculpture, relies heavily on mechanical and chemical processes. The creation of a photograph involves capturing light, using lenses and a camera body. The manipulation of photographic materials would have allowed Güssfeldt to control the image's tonality and contrast. The rise of photography coincided with the expansion of industrial capitalism. Photography democratized image-making, allowing for mass production and consumption of visual content. The photograph itself becomes an artifact of its time, reflecting both artistic intention and the broader socio-economic context in which it was created. By exploring the materiality and making of this photograph, we can move beyond traditional art historical interpretations and appreciate its complex relationship to labor, technology, and the evolving visual culture of the late 19th century.