Eckart Titzenthaler, zoon van de fotograaf, staand in een veld Possibly 1919

Waldemar Titzenthaler captured this photograph of his son, Eckart, standing in a field, using a gelatin silver process. The image is more than a simple family portrait; it reflects the changing social landscape of early 20th-century Germany. Note the boy's clothing, suggesting a middle-class upbringing, and the rural setting, perhaps indicative of a desire to escape the rapidly industrializing urban centers. Titzenthaler was part of the artistic photography movement, which argued for photography as art, against the traditions of art institutions. The gelatin silver process itself is a product of technological advancement, allowing for greater accessibility and artistic experimentation within the medium. It signifies a break from older, more cumbersome photographic methods, mirroring broader shifts towards modernity. To fully understand this work, one might delve into archives of photography journals and social histories of the period. By doing so, we recognize the power of art to reflect and shape the evolving social norms of its time.