Vestingmuur van de abdij van Mont-Saint-Michel 1855 - 1875

This stereo card shows the Vestingmuur, or fortified wall, of the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. Though the date and maker are unknown, it was likely produced in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, judging by the materials used. As a stereo card, this was a consumer product, an inexpensive piece of popular culture. The image itself is an albumen print, which was a typical process at the time. A glass negative would have been placed on top of paper that has been coated in a solution of albumen and silver nitrate, and then exposed to light. After this process, the photograph is developed and fixed. But what’s most interesting to me is what this photograph depicts: the great stone wall of Mont-Saint-Michel. One wonders about the number of man-hours of labor that went into its construction, stone by stone. In its own way, the wall speaks of the many hands that made it, just as this photograph speaks of the chemistry, craft, and social context that made it possible.