Exterieur van het gebouw op Boulevard du Nord 107 te Brussel 1875

This albumen print of a building on Boulevard du Nord in Brussels was made around 1875 by Alexandre de Blochouse. Photography as a medium often gets overlooked as an art form, but it represents a fascinating intersection of technology, craft, and commerce. The albumen process, used here, involved coating paper with egg white to create a glossy surface. This would then be sensitized to light, allowing for a finely detailed image to be captured. The resulting sepia tones are characteristic of the materials used. Think about all the hands involved in making this image: from those who produced the photographic equipment, to the people who prepared the paper, to de Blochouse himself, who carefully framed and captured this scene. This print is not just an image; it’s a material record of a specific moment in time, made possible by a network of labor and production. Understanding the process behind it allows us to appreciate its cultural and social significance, and to consider the artistic value of practices that are often considered outside the realm of fine art.