Portret van een vrouw, leunend op een stoel 1861 - 1874

This is a photographic portrait of a woman leaning on a chair, made by Albert Greiner sometime in the mid-19th century. Photography in this period was a chemical process, a delicate dance between light-sensitive materials, optics, and the carefully controlled conditions of the darkroom. The image, captured on a treated plate, would have been painstakingly developed and fixed. It is printed in a warm sepia tone, a result of the chemicals used in the printing process. The carte-de-visite, as these portraits were known, was a product of its time, fueled by industrialization and the rise of a new middle class eager to participate in visual culture. Photography democratized portraiture, making it accessible to a wider segment of society. The creation of these images involved the labor of photographers like Greiner, and the industrial production of materials. This small photograph speaks volumes about the democratization of image-making in the 19th century, showing how technical innovation reshaped social practices.