Untitled 1857

This photograph, made by Gustave Le Gray at an unknown date, is printed on paper using a process involving a coating of light-sensitive chemicals. At the time, photography was emerging as a technology with great implications, and the rise of the medium was closely tied to industrial advances in chemistry and optics. This image, in particular, shows a regiment of men and their horses outside a building. The scale of the scene, and the crisp clarity afforded by the photographic process, underscores the growing power of the military as an institution. There’s a strong link between this aesthetic and the technologies of image production, and the modes of political and economic expansion that characterize this moment in history. Understanding the materials and social context of photography enriches our appreciation, revealing its complex relationship to both art and industry.