History of Photography Pathfinder

by

Jason W. Dean

History of photography. (2008). Retrieved October 5, 2009, from YouTube Web site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j9C1D3J3L8

YouTube video produced by public television station KNME about the eminent historian of photography, Beaumont Newhall. Through his personal story of photography, he describes much of the history of photography as it developed as an art form. This video focuses mostly on Newhallʼs tenure at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, tracing the development of photography in the twentieth century with the scholarship and stories of Newhall. Newhallʼs memories of the development of photography are especially significant due to Newhallʼs almost single-handed effort to raise awareness about fine art photography. Most pertinent is Part 2, which describes the first major exhibition of photography in the United States in 1937 at MoMA. The film also showcases some famous images from the history of photography. Several photographers and photographic experts speak of Newhall and his contributions to photography. The video is shared free of charge by KNME, but there are advertisements through YouTube. No sources or bibliography are listed for the video. No search capability for specific events or persons is provided. Best used for an overview of the historiography of photography.

Leggat, R. (1995). A history of photography: from its beginnings till the 1920s. Retrieved October 5, 2009, from Robert Leggatʼs Home Page Web site: http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/index.html

Dr. Leggatʼs early history of photography is most useful for these three sections: How Photography Began, Significant People, and Significant Processes. The first section gives a thorough overview of the early history of photography, from the development of the camera obscura in the sixteenth century, to the invention of the flexible film by George Eastman in 1884. The second section, Significant People, is sorted alphabetically, and includes key people in photography in the time period mentioned above. Finally, the section about photographic processes provides an informative description of the variety of photographic processes, most of which fell out of usage before the turn of the twentieth century. Dr. Leggat holds a PhD in Education, as well as being a member of the Royal Society of Photographers. His website is offered without advertisement, paid for by Dr. Leggat himself. The website does include a bibliography section, though writings on the website lack sources, except for attribution to Dr. Leggat. The website is easily searchable through a search box provided on the left side of the screen. Best used for information from the early history of photography.

National Geographic Society. (2009). History of photography, photography time line, photos. Retrieved October 5, 2009 from National Geographic Web site: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photographers/photography-timeline.html

Interactive timeline presented by National Geographic Magazine. Provides actual images of key events in the history of photography in a dynamic timeline. Places special emphasis on key photographic events in the history of National Geographic Magazine. Each image on the timeline can be enlarged, and a brief description of the event featured on the timeline can be accessed. The resources, visual or print, lack citations or attributions. The timeline is not comprehensive, but does provide an appealing and interesting look at some of the key events and developments in the history of photography. The timeline is featured on the National Geographic website, with banner ads and links to subscribe to the magazine, but no clear commercial benefit can be seen from the production and use of the timeline. There is no tool available to search the timeline, requiring the user to know when the image or event they are looking for occurred. Best used to view key images from the history of photography.

Grundberg, A. (2009). History of photography. Retrieved October 5, 2009, from Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761575598/History_of_Photography.html

Exhaustive online Encarta Encyclopedia article covering the history of photography. The article chronologically traces the development of photography through both artistic movements and technological innovations. Describes key individuals from all periods, as well as the development of key technical processes, with links providing more information on each key person or technological process. Grundberg, author of several books on the history of photography, holds an MFA. However, the author does not cite any sources for the information presented in the article. The page itself has few ads, with no fees or donations being requested for use of the article. The information is searchable in a limited fashion through the search box at the top of the page. Overall, the article is useful and broken down into user-friendly chronological periods, as well as providing convenient and useful links to persons and terms of interest. Best used for a more in-depth overview of the history of photography.

Curto, J. (2009). History of photography podcasts. Retrieved October 5, 2009 from History of Photography Podcasts Web site: http://photohistory.jeffcurto.com/

These podcasts are recordings of the lectures of Jeff Curto given in the course of the History of Photography class at the College of DuPage. Curto holds an MFA, and presents the information in his class in an entertaining and engaging fashion. He begins with a survey of the history of photography, and then moves on to discuss the various artistic themes in photography. The series would be best used for an overview, as the presentations lack sources, but they do present key facts and important images in the history and themes of photography. The presentations are offered free of charge, and the site on which they are hosted does not contain any advertisements, nor are there any requests for payment for the use of the presentations. The presentations are not easily searchable, requiring the user to be familiar with the time period, or the artistic movement that

their questions are associated with. Best used for a comprehensive look at both the history of photography, as well as artistic movements in photography.

Palmquist, P. E. (Ed.). (2000). Photographers: a sourcebook for historical research. Nevada City: Carl Mautz.

This small volume is most useful for the annotated bibliography of the worldwide directories of photographers included in the book, located in the second section of the book. The bibliography is sorted according to continent, then by country. Richard Rudsill, Curator of Photographic History at the Museum of New Mexico compiled this bibliography. The book also includes an author index, as well as a location index. The bibliography is an important tool for in-depth research, and is an excellent resource for researching individual photographers due to its description of the works listed in the bibliography. The bibliography is used most easily of the geographic location of the photographer is known, enabling the user to more quickly and efficiently find the works that will best help them in their search for information about specific photographers. Best used for information about individual photographers.

Newhall, B. (1982). The history of photography: from 1839 to the present. New York: Museum of Modern Art.

Seen by many as the definitive history of photography, Newhallʼs History is an excellent resource for researching the history of photography. Widely considered the preeminent scholar of the history of photography, Beaumont Newhall was the director of the department of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in new York City, in addition to being the director of the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House. The text is a bit dated, but is sorted according to the chronological breakdown of different photographic processes. The history stops with the development of the Polaroid film system. The book includes notes from sources cited in the text, assisting the user in finding more information about a specific topic. Also included is a bibliography of books recommended by Newhall for further reading and research. Best used for an authoritative overview of the history of photography, as well as the bibliography for further research.

Mulligan, T., & Wooters, D. (Eds.). (2005). A history of photography: from 1839 to the present: the George Eastman House collection. Los Angeles: Taschen.

This book gives a helpful narrative overview of the history of photography, as seen through the collection of the George Eastman House, one of the preeminent collections of historical photography in the world. The history is broken down into broad artistic themes of photography, arranged roughly in chronological order. The book is most useful in the plentiful illustrations that accompany the text, linking the written and visual histories of photography. The work does include a selected bibliography, which is helpful for more in-depth

research. Also includes a glossary of key photographic terms, helping the reader discern the variety of technical terms and processes used throughout the book. However, works consulted or used for the information in the text are not cited. Best used for an in-depth visual demonstration of the artistic themes throughout the history of photography.

Davenport, A. (1991). The history of photography: an overview. Boston: Focal Press.

A brief, highly readable and accessible general overview of the history of photography. Alma Davenport, a professor at Southeastern Massachusetts University, authored this book. The text itself is an excellent overview of the history of photography, and includes technical illustrations of key photographic concepts, as well as some photographic reproductions. The narrative is broken down through the broad artistic themes of photography, but is not arranged chronologically. However, the specific topics within each theme are arranged chronologically. References for the information given in the text are found in the “Notes” section, providing a helpful link to more information. Also included is an index, as well as a bibliography of works “the author has referenced repeatedly.” Best used as a first look at the history of photography, as well as a tool for more in-depth research of key photographic historical themes and concepts.

Govignon, B (Ed.). (2004). The Abrams encyclopedia of photography. New York: Abrams.

This single-volume encyclopedia of photography is an excellent companion to Newhallʼs History. Written by a team of experts in the history of photography, this encyclopedia is broken down into four sections. The first section is an overview of the history of photography, broken down into chronological sections. In each of these sections, the time period is further broken down into general topics adhering to the time period. The second section is a discussion of modern photography, again broken down into general themes since the 1960ʼs. The third section is a discussion of up-and-coming themes and topics in photography. The fourth and final section provides biographies of key photographers from the entire history of photography. No notes for references made in the text are provided, nor is a bibliography. An index is provided, however. The encyclopedia is well-illustrated throughout, giving visual representations to the themes being discussed. Best used to pick up the history of photography where Newhallʼs History leaves off.

Stroebel, L., & Zakia, R. (Eds.). (1993). The Focal encyclopedia of photography. Boston, Focal Press.This single-volume encyclopedia provides a more technical look at key concepts in photography. Written by a broad array of experts in photography, the text covers current, as well as historical technical concepts in photography. The text is broken down alphabetically, and discusses technical concepts with varying length. Includes many technical drawings and tables enhancing the

understanding of the concepts in the text. The encyclopedia lacks works cited or a bibliography, but does include a variety of appendices covering a variety of technical information, including film data sheets, as well as tables defining common photographic abbreviations. The encyclopedia provides an excellent support to the more artistic and aesthetic histories of photography, with in-depth explorations and explanations of technical (both in and out of the darkroom) processes. Best used for answering questions about the technical side of photography.

Mason, J. (Ed.). (1984). Encyclopedia of photography. New York, Crown.

This single-volume encyclopedia of photography provides a brief description of both key concepts and processes in photography, as well as important photographers. Published in conjunction with the International Center of Photography, and drawn from the expertise and resources of that institution. A bit dated, the encyclopedia includes alphabetically sorted encyclopedic references, as mentioned above, as well as illustrations of artists or themes discussed in the text. Also includes a section with brief biographies of photographers, a listing of photographic societies and associations, and also a bibliography of works “that provide an immediate supplement to articles in the encyclopedia.” The bibliography itself is broken down into a variety of helpful sections in order to assist the reader in finding the information they seek. Best used as a convenient reference for consultation about terms, but not as an exhaustive description of the topics covered in the book.

Browne, T. & Partnow, E. (1983). Macmillan encyclopedia of photographic artists and innovators. New York: Macmillan.

This biographical encyclopedia of photographers is a bit dated, but still useful to the reader. Each entry gives a brief biography of each photographer, followed by information in which the photographerʼs work is published, portfolios by the artist, collections that hold works by the photographer, dealers who sell works by the artist, as well as the artistʼs address. Includes a series of plates of photographs in the middle of the book featuring photographs by the subjects covered in the encyclopedia. Also included geographical index to museums, as well as a geographical index to galleries. This information should be examined and cross-checked, as the book is not current. Entries do not include works cited, and there is not a bibliography provided for the reader. Best used as a reference about the provenance, as well as biographies of photographers.

Lenman, R. (Ed.). (2005). The Oxford companion to the photograph. New York; Oxford University Press.

This large book is among the finest single-volume reference works for the history of photography, as well as photography as a whole. Published through Oxford University and written by a team of top photographic scholars, this book lists

subjects alphabetically. The text itself covers terms and topics with varying length, with most articles being surprisingly in-depth for this type of reference work. Some illustrations are included to demonstrate artistic styles, as well as technical concepts and illustrations. Also helpful to the reader is the thematic table of contents, listing important articles by theme - including geographical location, movements and styles, and many other themes. Cross references within the text at the end of the article assist the reader in discovering more information about interrelated topics. Includes cited works for each entry, index, and a select bibliography. Best used as a first reference for greater research, or for casual research into a topic.

Eskind, A. & Drake, G., (Eds.). (1990). Index to American photographic collections. Boston; G. K. Hall & Co.

This two-volume set lists the artist holdings of photography collections in the United States. The index is organized into two distinct sections, one being a collections listing, and another being the photographer index. The reader should pay careful attention to the usage and organization of each section, which can be found on page “v” of the first volume. Within the index, the entries are listed alphabetically, with some abbreviations requiring consultation of the tables and definitions at the beginning of each volume. Due to the organization of the entries, as well as the heavy use of abbreviations, special care and effort must be taken by the reader to glean the maximum amount of information from this work as possible. No works cited or bibliography appear in the volumes. Best used as a research aid in discovering how well collected an artist is, or what artists photography collections in the United States hold.

Smith, G. (Ed.). History of photography."

This periodical features articles covering all aspects of the history of photography. All articles are peer-reviewed. Each issue contains a table of contents. All articles are signed by their respective authors, and most offer a bibliography to assist the reader in further study of a topic discussed in an article. The journal seeks to cover all time periods and themes of the history of photography, from the early history, to recent events, as well as from American photography to photographers from all over the world. Articles in the journal are scholarly, and as such can be abstract and difficult to understand. The editorial board are all experts in the field of the history of photography, and the periodical seems to be very well-respected. Provides an excellent, scholarly, and wide-ranging look at the history of photography in its many aspects.

Art full text. Online journal database.

Online journal database provided by HW Wilson. The database indexes and holds articles from many art and art-related publications, including those which contain articles on the history of photography. The database indexes 587 titles,

with 29 of them embargoed for varying amounts of time. The database features, and is of specific usefulness, because it also gives the user access to the full text of many of the articles it indexes. The user can narrow their search down according to a number of criteria, including full-text, year, peer-reviewed, and document type. After searching, the user can generate RSS and email alerts, as well as save, print, and export. To improve the quality of searches, a thesaurus is available. This database would be useful for the research of the history of photography, as well as seeing the development of photography as a fine art in the broader context of the art world.

Art retrospective. Online journal database

Online journal database compiled by HW Wilson. The database is a bibliographic database that indexes the citations listed in the publication Art Index. This resource is most helpful for a first-stop for scholars doing more in-depth research on a specific topic within the broader heading of the history of photography. The search interface includes the ability to narrow search area according to date, document type, physical description, and ranking according to a variety of criteria. After searching, the user can narrow the results further by subject headings, author, date range, and document type. The user can also create email and RSS alerts, as well as save and print their research online through the Wilson interface. This database is an excellent, easy to use index of a publication frequently consulted by art scholars, and contains much useful information to patrons seeking information about the history of photography.