Portret van een onbekende vrouw en baby, aangeduid als Per en Tilda 1860 - 1875

This small photograph by Lindman presents a woman and baby, labelled Per and Tilda, immortalized through the wet collodion process. Popular in the 19th century, this photographic technique involved coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. The resulting image, printed on paper, carries a distinctive tonal range and sharpness. Consider the process: the photographer, the sitter, the darkroom, and the careful manipulation of chemicals – all crucial labor in producing a single image. Each print is unique, mirroring the variability of hand-processed techniques. This process democratized portraiture, enabling a wider segment of society to access image-making, a craft formerly reserved for the wealthy who could commission painted portraits. By understanding the making of this photograph, we recognize it not just as an image, but as an artifact imbued with social and economic implications, blurring the lines between art and craft.