Gezicht op La Condamine te Monaco c. 1872 - 1874

This is a photographic view of La Condamine in Monaco, made by Eugène Degand, likely in the late 19th century. Photography, especially at this time, was a chemical process as much as an aesthetic one. Images like these began with the careful preparation of glass plates, coated with light-sensitive emulsions. The slow process of exposure and development demanded patience and skill. The sepia tones we see here result from chemical reactions on the print surface. These tones weren't just aesthetic choices; they were material signatures of the photographic process itself. Consider that while Degand was making these photographs, others were using the very same technology to document social conditions, industrial progress, and the rise of mass media. Photography democratized image-making, making it accessible to a wider range of practitioners, but it also created new forms of labor and consumption. Understanding the materiality of photography helps us to appreciate its complex history, and challenges the idea that photography is purely a form of fine art.