Reproductie naar een foto van Willem Witsen c. 1860 - 1915

This reproduction after a photograph by Willem Witsen uses paper and photographic chemicals to create a portrait, speaking to the democratizing power of photography. Consider the way the image is made: a camera obscura, a lens, light-sensitive materials, and the hand of the photographer. These all contribute to its final appearance. The tones, textures, and crisp details all result from a chemical process as much as they do from artistic intention. In contrast to painting or sculpture, photography offered a seemingly objective way of capturing reality. Yet, the choice of subject, the angle, the lighting, and the development process were all subjective decisions, and the labor of producing the photograph - setting up the shot, developing the negative, making the print - often went unnoticed. Understanding the materials and processes behind photography allows us to appreciate its unique qualities and to consider its place in the broader history of visual culture. This piece asks us to reconsider photography not just as art, but as a craft deeply interwoven with social and industrial progress.