Grotto, Mare aux Biches, Bois de Boulogne 1858 - 1860

Charles Marville made this albumen silver print, "Grotto, Mare aux Biches, Bois de Boulogne," using a process that was both cutting-edge technology and painstaking craft. The albumen process involved coating paper with egg whites and silver nitrate, making it sensitive to light. The negative was then placed on the prepared paper, and exposed to sunlight. Imagine the labour involved - from raising the chickens, to meticulously coating the paper, and carefully timing the exposure. Look at the incredible detail Marville achieved, capturing the textures of the rocks, the flow of the water, and the density of the foliage. The way the light interacts with the albumen creates a luminous quality, giving the scene a romantic, almost dreamlike effect. The image is more than just a pretty picture. It speaks to the rise of photography as both a commercial enterprise and an art form, and the huge amount of labour involved in the production of a single photograph. Marville’s work reminds us that even in the age of mechanical reproduction, the hand is still very much present.