Gezicht op de binnenplaats van het Camposanto te Pisa, Italië 1860 - 1881

Giacomo Brogi made this albumen print of the Camposanto courtyard in Pisa, Italy, sometime in the 19th century. This photographic printing method involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, creating a surface sensitive to light. The process yielded prints with fine detail and a characteristic sepia tone, as we can see here. This method was embraced for its relative ease and reproducibility, making photography more accessible. It marks a shift from unique artworks to mass-produced images, catering to a growing market for souvenirs and documentation. Brogi and other photographers like him operated as entrepreneurs, employing assistants to produce and sell these images. The albumen print signifies a moment in the industrialization of art, where the artist becomes a manager of a small production line, blurring the lines between art, craft, and commerce.