Me pole kunagi olnud analoogsed: klaasnegatiivide digiteerimisest Jaan Rieti kogu näitel
We Have Never Been Analogous: The Digitisation of Glass Negatives Based on the Example of Jaan Riet’s Collection

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the processes of mass digitisation of historical photography based on the digitisation of Jaan Riet’s collection of glass negatives. By looking at the transformation of images from analogue to digital, the article approaches photography as a ‘liquid’ cultural practice. The main focus of the article is the digitised glass negative as a palimpsest that captures traces and layers of different times, from the photographer’s gaze to the ephemeral pixels of a digital image. The article analyses digital images of retouched portraits from the beginning of the 20th century, repro-photography and stereo-photographs from Jaan Riet’s collection, and examines ways of viewing and representing that are inherent to photography as a social and cultural practice, and that transcend the hierarchical understanding of the analogue-digital binary. The Estonian photographer Jaan Riet (1873–1952) is above all known for his views of Viljandi: during the 50 years of his practice, he photographed local residents, their children and grandchildren, the changing landscape of Viljandi, and stereo views from Estonia and abroad.

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