Carl Saltzmann, de tekenaar en fotograaf, leunt op de railing van een schip en tuurt over boord 1889

This photograph by Paul Güssfeldt, shows Carl Saltzmann on a ship, captured in tones achieved through chemical processes on light-sensitive paper. The albumen print, popular in the late 19th century, involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, then exposing it to light through a negative. This painstaking process resulted in a print with fine detail and a distinctive sepia tone. The photograph's materiality speaks to the burgeoning technology of the time. Saltzmann, a figure himself engaged in image-making as a draughtsman, is depicted in a moment of contemplation, perhaps seeking inspiration from the vastness of the sea. The choice of photography as a medium raises questions about the role of technology in shaping artistic vision, and the changing status of image-making in a world increasingly defined by mechanical reproduction. Understanding the material and processes involved in creating this image allows us to consider the social and cultural context in which it was made, blurring the lines between art, craft, and technology.