Gezicht op een havengebied in Toulon 1870 - 1900

This photograph of a harbor area in Toulon was taken by Étienne Neurdein, using the 19th-century technique of albumen print. The sepia tones capture the busy port with its ships and buildings. But it’s important to think about the labor embedded in this image. Consider the work that went into building these ships, the skill of the carpenters and shipwrights, the sourcing and shaping of the raw materials like timber and sailcloth. All this physical effort stands in contrast to the photograph itself, which captures the scene in a chemical instant. The albumen process involved coating paper with egg whites and silver nitrate, creating a light-sensitive surface. The negative was then placed on the prepared paper and exposed to sunlight. This delicate process, requiring specific knowledge and equipment, reminds us that photography in the 19th century was as much a craft as it was a science. Neurdein’s photograph, therefore, isn't just a record of a place. It’s a testament to the meeting of industrial progress and human skill, capturing a moment in time through a labor-intensive process.