Portret van een man met vlinderdas en snor 1889

This is a portrait photograph of a man with a bow tie and mustache by Crespon Fils, using the wet collodion process. Photography emerged in the 19th century as both a science and a craft. The wet collodion process involved coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in a camera, and then developing it immediately. It demanded expertise in chemistry, optics, and manual dexterity. The resulting image, captured on glass, has a distinctive tonal range and clarity, with soft gradations of light and shadow. The surface texture of the photograph reveals the hand of the photographer in preparing the plate and controlling the developing process. Photography democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a wider segment of society beyond the elite. It also transformed our understanding of realism. The photograph is not just a record of a sitter, but a testament to the artistry and labor involved in its making, reminding us that even seemingly straightforward images are the product of complex technical processes.