Portret van Jeanette Jacobsson 1855 - 1890

This is an anonymous portrait of Jeanette Jacobsson, a photograph made using a wet collodion process, a popular method in the mid-19th century. The wet collodion process involved coating a glass plate with a light-sensitive emulsion, then exposing it in a camera. This had to be done quickly, before the collodion dried, hence the name. The result is a finely detailed image, usually with a slightly soft, ethereal quality. What's interesting is that this method made photography more accessible to a wider range of people. While early photographic processes were expensive and complex, the wet collodion method was relatively cheaper and easier to master, allowing for a boom in portraiture, and the rise of photography studios catering to the middle classes. This portrait, with its simple elegance, speaks to the democratization of image-making that occurred in the 19th century, challenging traditional notions of who could be represented and by what means. It's a reminder that even in a seemingly straightforward image, there's a complex interplay of materials, processes, and social context at work.