Groepsportret bij een hotel in Inselsberg. c. 1903

This is a photograph of a group in front of a hotel in Inselsberg, taken by Frits Freerks Fontein Fz. As a mode of production, photography has always been tied to both artistic expression and commerce, and this image is no exception. Produced using chemical processes to capture an image on a treated surface, the photograph gives us clues about the subjects, setting, and social context of its creation. Notice the composition of the scene. The architecture, the clothing, and the horse-drawn carriage, all speak to the historical moment in which it was taken. The relative ease with which photographs could be made, compared to painting or sculpture, meant that it was more accessible to wider groups of people, like this group of tourists. The photograph's material presence – its size, the paper it's printed on – also tells us something about its place in the world. The use of photography democratized image-making and visual culture. This challenges traditional notions of art, and asks us to consider the broader social implications of the image-making process.