Von Storch Breaker, Del. & Hudson Canal Co. c. 1863 - 1865

This albumen silver print of the Von Storch Breaker was created by Thomas H. Johnson sometime in the 1860s, using photography's chemical processes. The image shows us an industrial landscape, where coal was processed. The most striking element is the steep railway ascending to the breaker building, which dominates the scene. The railway and breaker are made of wood, built through considerable labor with timber. Johnson, like many photographers of the time, was keenly interested in documenting these industrial processes. The image reveals how raw materials were extracted and transformed. Photography itself was a new industrial process, democratizing image making and mass production of the visual. Consider the relationship between the industrial materials and the labor-intensive building methods represented in the image, and photography’s own industrial status. Together, these elements blur traditional boundaries between art, craft, and industry.