Twee portretten van een onbekende vrouw, met en zonder retouche before 1890

This photographic print by Geyer & Fischer presents two portraits of an unknown woman, one retouched and the other not. Photography, from its inception, has relied on both technological skill and manual labor to produce an image. In this case, the photograph itself would have been created through the use of a camera and darkroom processes, involving optics and chemistry to capture the image on a photosensitive material. The act of retouching, in particular, highlights the human element of the process. It is the manual labor that would alter the original image, smoothing skin and refining features. It is a way of physically manipulating the truth of the image, shaping and transforming reality, in response to societal expectations of beauty. Looking at these two portraits, we are reminded that images are never neutral or objective. They are carefully made things, reflecting values, labor, and a will to modify reality, revealing the complex interplay between technology, human intervention, and the pursuit of ideal aesthetics.