Portret van een onbekende halfnaakte vrouw met bloemen before 1899

This photogravure, titled "Portret van een onbekende halfnaakte vrouw met bloemen", was created by Charles Fondu. Photogravure is an intaglio printmaking process using a copper plate that has been light-sensitized. The image is exposed onto the prepared plate and then etched. Each print involves inking the plate, wiping the surface, and then pressing it onto paper. The velvety blacks, and continuous tones, are what separate photogravure from its simpler cousin, the halftone reproduction. This process involves considerable handwork and skill. The result has an inherent preciousness, heightened by the aesthetic of art photography, which this image clearly exemplifies. The labor involved is especially telling; in contrast to the supposed ‘objectivity’ of photography, photogravure declares itself a handmade creation. In this way, it challenges the traditional hierarchy between art and craft.