Portret van een hond 1870 - 1877

This is a portrait of a dog made by Willem Frederik Vinkenbos, likely in the late 19th century. Although photography can appear to be a straightforward process, its material reality is complex. This picture is likely an albumen print, made by coating paper with albumen, derived from egg whites, and then sensitized with silver nitrate. This would then be contact-printed from a negative and carefully processed. Consider the amount of work involved. The photographer needed a well-equipped studio, a mastery of chemistry, and a good understanding of posing. All of these skills and resources, and time, would have been reflected in the price. As such, this portrait would have been a luxury item. Looking at this charming picture, we might think about the labor and social relations that went into its production. It reminds us that even the simplest image has a material history, deeply entwined with class, labor, and technology.