Gezicht op Narmada before 1897

Christiaan Johan Neeb captured this image, “Gezicht op Narmada,” using the silver gelatin process, a technique that would have been considered quite modern at the time. Silver gelatin photography involves coating paper with light-sensitive silver halide crystals, capturing an image through a lens, and then developing it chemically. This process was the workhorse of photography for over a century, known for its relatively fine detail and tonal range. The photograph itself, mounted in an album, becomes an artifact of its time. It speaks to an era of exploration and documentation. Photography was instrumental in shaping perceptions of distant lands for those who would never travel there themselves. Think of the labor involved in producing a seemingly straightforward image: the photographer's journey, the meticulous darkroom work, and the final presentation within a bound album. Considering these factors elevates our understanding of the image, it's a testament to the cultural and technological context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.