Jerusalem. General view from the Mount of Olives before 1865

This photograph, "Jerusalem. General view from the Mount of Olives," was taken by Francis Bedford sometime in the mid-19th century, using a process called albumen print. What I find striking here is the alchemical process of this printing method. It relies on coating paper with albumen, derived from egg whites, before applying a silver nitrate solution. When exposed to light through a negative, the silver salts react, creating a stable image with soft gradations and fine detail. Bedford would have needed a portable darkroom, preparing and developing his plates on-site. This image, therefore, is not only a document of a specific place, but also of the labor and expertise required to produce it. The rich sepia tones and the almost ethereal quality of the light speak to the inherent qualities of the process itself. Considering these techniques, we can appreciate how photography, though often perceived as purely representational, is in fact a crafted medium. It challenges the hierarchy between art and craft, reminding us that all images are made, not simply taken.