Portret van een meisje, aangeduid als Adele Anne Remy, knuffelend met een hond op een stoel 1868 - 1872

This small portrait was made by Johannes Baer, using photographic methods common in the late 19th century. The sepia tones and oval frame speak to a particular historical moment. Photography, at this time, was no longer a scientific novelty, but a burgeoning industry. Studios popped up everywhere, offering affordable portraits to a wider public than ever before. This image, likely a carte-de-visite, demonstrates that shift. It democratized representation. The process involved coating a glass plate with light-sensitive chemicals, exposing it in a camera, and then developing the image. This was a skilled, if somewhat repetitive, labor. Each print, though similar, was a unique object. Unlike today's digital images, each one had a physical presence, a weight and texture. Consider the labor that went into this image, from the photographer’s skill to the industrial production of photographic materials. It’s a fascinating intersection of art, science, and commerce.