Reproductie van een schilderij van Karel Klinkenberg met het stadhuis te Nijmegen 1899

This photograph reproducing a painting by Karel Klinkenberg, of the town hall in Nijmegen, was created by Emrik & Binger. It's a reminder that even images of artworks have a making. The photograph itself is a product of industrialization, with a chemical process permanently fixing an image onto paper. This technology democratized image-making, allowing for the widespread distribution of artworks. Notice how the crisp detail of the architecture contrasts with the soft rendering of the figures. This is due to the long exposure time required, which captured the immobility of the buildings but blurred the pedestrians passing by. Think about the labor involved, from the photographer meticulously setting up the shot, to the workers in the factory producing the photographic paper. This reproduction collapses hierarchies, bringing high art to a broader audience, and making Klinkenberg's work available for mass consumption.