Interior c. 1860s

This photograph, Interior, was created by Pierre-Ambrose Richebourg, sometime in the mid-19th century, using a process called salt print. What I find particularly interesting here is the way that photography, still quite a new medium at this point, is used to document an interior filled with crafted objects. Look at the ornately framed painting, the chandelier, the patterned textiles of the sofa and table covering. These are all objects that took skilled labor to produce. The photograph flattens the amount of work involved, turning everything into a kind of generalized surface. But the image does give us a good sense of the interior design of the period, with its emphasis on ornamentation and display. Photography played a role in this, democratizing images and allowing them to circulate more widely. So in a way, this photograph is not just a record of a room, but also a reflection on the changing nature of production and consumption in the 19th century.