The art of the 19th century experienced one of the most formative changes through a chemical-physical phenomenon. The invention of photography made it possible to create an image and reprint the subject. Whereas portraits had previously been time-consuming illustrations and seemingly captured snapshots with patient extras and sketches, photography made it possible to take realistic snapshots and capture movement.
From mid-century onwards, photographs and the expanded possibilities of travel opened up the transfer of foreign cultures into artists' exhibition spaces.
Photographers were witnesses on the battlefields, showing heroes in uniforms and the gruesome reality of war. Historical documents were created, photography grew together with the press and visualized the events of the time.

With the end beginning of the 20th century, photography gained recognition as an art form. Portraits showed people in a single moment. Great photographers such as Nadar never lacked models, and the special depictions delighted French society. "Painting with light" drew artists out into the streets. Daylight made it possible to photograph the population on their way to work and in their activities. Hard working people became objects in art. An old photo album with black and white photographs tipped in, their jagged edges showing slight yellowing, and rustling parchment pages immediately makes the viewer wander searchingly over the old photographs of people. The search for a familiar face, the interest in the lives of ancestors, makes us linger over an album for hours. It is similar with photographs of unknown origin, the gaze immediately finds the faces and tries to fathom the story behind the photo.