Gezicht op de binnenplaats van het Gujari Mahal paleis c. 1900

K.H. Mawal created this photograph of the Gujari Mahal palace courtyard, using the wet collodion process. It was a revolutionary technique, requiring the photographer to prepare, expose, and develop the image on a glass plate within a short time. Consider the materiality of this photograph; the smooth glass plate coated with chemicals capturing light to reveal this scene. Think about Mawal's work and the labor that went into this process. The photograph is a testament to the photographer’s mastery of chemistry and optics. It's a moment captured and fixed, a record of a place and time. The Gujari Mahal palace itself, built of stone, would have required many hands to build. Mawal uses his photographic skill to capture and preserve the palace's architectural details and inherent qualities: its texture, weight and form. Mawal's photograph is more than just an image; it is a reminder of the human skill and ingenuity that goes into both the creation of the palace, and the capture of this historical moment. It challenges the distinction between art, craft, labor, and technology.