Portret van een onbekende man met gestreept vest 1855 - 1885

F. Steiner captured this unknown man with a striped vest using photography, a relatively new medium in its time. Photography in the 19th century was a chemical and mechanical process, requiring careful manipulation of light and sensitive materials. Unlike painting or sculpture, photography’s connection to labor is less obvious. But consider the work involved in preparing the chemicals, coating the plates, and precisely timing the exposure. Each step demanded skill and precision. The final image, a direct impression of reality, belies the complex choreography of its making. What’s interesting here is the mass production of images that photography enabled, aligning it with industrial modes of production. It democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a broader segment of society than ever before. In this context, photography blurs the lines between art, craft, and industry, prompting us to reconsider traditional hierarchies of artistic value.