Portret van twee vrouwen, één met een boek en één met een hoed c. 1860 - 1870

This portrait of two women, one with a book and one with a hat, was captured by Andrews & Son using the photographic technique of their time. Photography in this period was as much a craft as an art. Consider the wet collodion process, which was used to create this image. It required coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. This was a time-sensitive and skilled procedure. The resulting image, a glass negative, was then used to make a positive print on paper. The sepia tone and soft focus give the portrait a timeless quality, while the subjects' attire hints at the social and economic status of the sitters, reflecting the formal conventions of the time. The very act of commissioning a photograph was a statement of social standing. Looking at this image, we can appreciate the labor and expertise involved in early photography, and how this technology transformed the way people perceived and documented their world. It underscores the social and material conditions that shaped both the production and consumption of art.