Gezicht op de ingang van Artis in Amsterdam 1860 - 1890

This photograph of the Artis entrance in Amsterdam was made by Andries Jager sometime in the late 19th century. It's a salt print, created by coating paper with a silver chloride solution, then using a negative to expose the image to light. In this case, photography is deployed to create an impression of nature. But of course, it is also a deeply industrial process. The photographer relies upon the production of paper, glass, and chemical compounds. And they also rely on the architecture, and the presence of the built environment that gives scale to this picture. The final result is a unique object. Salt prints have a soft, slightly textured surface and a distinctive sepia tone, giving the image a warm, almost painterly quality. Think about the labor involved in creating this single image, from the darkroom processing to the outdoor shot, and how it transforms our understanding of both the medium and the subject.