Gezicht op de haringpakkerij, thans deel van de Prins Hendrikkade in Amsterdam

This photograph of the Haringpakkerij, now part of the Prins Hendrikkade in Amsterdam, was made anonymously using a specialized photographic printing process, resulting in a sepia-toned albumen print. The print’s materiality gives us pause to consider the work and labor that went into its making. It involved coating paper with albumen, derived from egg whites, sensitizing it with silver nitrate, exposing it to light through a negative, and then carefully washing and toning it. The resulting image, while seemingly straightforward, is the product of a complex, alchemical process that transforms ordinary materials into a lasting visual record. Consider the social context, too. The Haringpakkerij, as its name suggests, was a site for processing herring – a staple food source, but also a commodity integral to Amsterdam’s economy. The photograph therefore gives us insight into the labor-intensive processes of the city and, importantly, the technologies used to record and disseminate that reality. This challenges any division between artistic creation and the world of workaday experience.