Introduction
This essay mainly refers to the society in which photography arose. We shall look at the economic and social situation when photography appeared and how photography was perceived by the Victorians. Also some aspects of the problematic discussion if photography can become an art are considered in this essay. These aspects are concerning only the nineteenth century and what people thought in that time about this topic.
The first chapter tells the history of photography. It covers an overview how photography developed and what advantages each development involved.
The second chapter deals with the initial situation when photography was first publicly announced in 1839. We will come across cultural and scientific institutions and the infrastructure of the means of communication in that time. This is important for an understanding of the context in which the invention of photography took place. And therefore to see why photography developed so fast and powerfully in that century.
The third section is about photography as a business, concerning its economical and technical expansion. It illuminates the fact that photography was on the way to become a mass media but was still too expensive to reach all social strata. Moreover, we will have a look at the middle class which is held responsible for supporting photography the most, being the bearer-class and upholder of photography.
The fourth chapter highlights the functions photography had. It explains which social requirements and conventions photography had to obey to survive. Furthermore, we will pay attention to some reactions that were written down in newspapers and magazines about the new phenomenon. This section, concentrates on the thesis Jens Jäger had formulated in his book Gesellschaft und Photographie (Opladen 1996), namely that photography’s function was steered and defined by the people’s views and values. The question we will look at is: Which objects were considered to be worth to take a photo of and why?
The fifth chapter concerns itself with the artistic status of photography and with its discussions and debates that were led in the Victorian time when photography was classified mainly as a scientific (mechanical and optical) process. In this section I will write, as well, about some photographers who are said to have been artists and to have produced some important artistic works.
Table of Contents
I The History of Photography
II Set of Settings in which photography arose
III Development of Photography as a Business
IV Application and Reception of Photography
V Was photography considered to have an artistic function?
VI Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This essay explores the socio-economic context of photography's emergence in Victorian Britain, examining how societal values and the middle class defined the medium's primary functions, its business development, and the ongoing debate regarding its artistic status.
- Technological evolution and the historical emergence of photography.
- The influence of the Victorian middle class as the primary driver of photographic expansion.
- Societal and political functions, including portraiture, psychiatric documentation, and war reporting.
- The tension between photography as a scientific tool versus an artistic endeavor.
- The role of key practitioners in establishing the artistic potential of the medium.
Excerpt from the Book
Was photography considered to have an artistic function?
This question is not easy to answer since the opinions differed very much on this issue. Therefore we should, at first, answer the question which aims high art (e.g. painting) had in the nineteenth century. Jens Jäger says that the art’s style was a realistic, idealistic and naturalistic one. Moreover, the main striving was to create a work of art that reflected the visible nature and its details’ (p.238). This artistic movement was also called Pre-Raphaelitism. On the other hand, ‘these works of art had to contain a moral expressiveness since a simple copy of nature would be nothing worth. The spiritual content was something that only artists could have captured. Subjectivity and individuality of the artist were the most significant components to distinguish between art and non-art’ (Jäger, p.239). For that reason photography was excluded from high art. It was said that photography had no spiritual content and that it was pure depiction.
But we shouldn’t forget about the reproduction of works of art. ‘This field of photography had the function of a mediator. Artists hoped that photography would help to spread artistic works all over the country by copying them. They also thought that people of lower classes, then, would have easier access to art; and that consequently the level of education and of morals would rise’ (Jäger, p.240). Thus, photography as a medium of reproduction was a great success. ‘It also brought some great advantages for the artists in those times, namely the discovering of new stylistic devices and perspectives. In addition, photography led to different views about the representation of space-time relations’ (Jäger, p.247).
Summary of Chapters
I The History of Photography: Provides an overview of the technological milestones in photography, from the Camera Obscura to the invention of motion pictures in 1895.
II Set of Settings in which photography arose: Analyzes the Victorian social, economic, and religious landscape, identifying the middle class as the primary bearer of the new medium.
III Development of Photography as a Business: Examines the rapid commercial expansion of photography in Britain, influenced by patent expiries, rising incomes, and the professionalization of the trade.
IV Application and Reception of Photography: Investigates the social functions of photographs, including portraiture, clinical documentation, and political propaganda during the Crimean War.
V Was photography considered to have an artistic function?: Explores the debates surrounding photography's status as art, highlighting the tension between mechanical depiction and artistic expression.
VI Conclusion: Synthesizes how societal values determined the medium's role and documents the shift in perspective regarding photography’s scientific and artistic potential.
Keywords
Photography, Victorian Britain, Jens Jäger, Middle-class, Portraiture, Industrial Revolution, History of Photography, Artistic Function, Scientific Methodology, Social Documentation, Combination Printing, Julia Margaret Cameron, Henry Peach Robinson.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this essay?
The essay examines the emergence, societal reception, and application of photography in Victorian Britain between 1839 and 1860, based on the research of Jens Jäger.
What are the central themes covered?
Central themes include the commercial growth of photography, the role of the middle class in its adoption, its use as a tool for social and political documentation, and the debate over its artistic validity.
What is the main objective of the author?
The goal is to understand how societal needs, values, and conventions dictated the functional roles and the cultural perception of photography during the nineteenth century.
What scientific or historical methods are utilized?
The essay employs historical and analytical methods, reviewing literature and case studies to explain the connection between the medium's development and Victorian cultural norms.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the technological history, the economic expansion of the photographic business, specific applications like mug shots and psychiatric records, and the shift from viewing photography as purely mechanical to potentially artistic.
Which keywords define this document?
Key terms include Victorian Britain, social documentation, artistic function, middle-class influence, and photographic technology.
How did portraiture serve as a status symbol for the middle class?
Portraits served as an "integrating function," allowing the middle class to document their respectability and shared identity, effectively excluding the laboring poor who lacked the necessary status and resources.
What role did psychiatric and police photography play in the Victorian era?
These applications served as instruments of definition, used to categorize individuals as healthy or ill, and criminal or legal, thus helping the state maintain social order.
Why was photography initially denied an artistic status?
It was initially regarded as a purely scientific, mechanical, and optical process that lacked the "spiritual content" and subjectivity associated with high art like painting.
- Quote paper
- Monika Rusek (Author), 2005, Photography and society in the Victorian Era - based on Jens Jäger's book 'Gesellschaft und Photographie - Formen und Funktionen der Photographie in Deutschland und England 1839-1860', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/77188
