Early Photography 14.5

People have been experimenting with photographic devices at least as far back as the 1600s, when Dutch artist Jan Vermeer may have used the camera obscura to aid in the creation

of his highly detailed paintings.

Photography became an important visual medium—independent of painting— during the

1800s. It was widely used for journalism and portraiture. American photographer Mathew

Brady became famous for his images documenting the Civil War. This was a

significant visual record of the violence and brutality of modern warfare. Eventually,

photography went beyond the category of photo journalism, and evolved into a fine art.

Mathew Brady (1822-1896)

Photograph of General Ulysses S. Grant, 1864

Brady was one of the most

celebrated 19th century

American photographers, best known for his portraits of celebrities and

the documentation of the American Civil War. He is credited with

being the father of

photojournalism.

Mathew Brady (1822-1896)

Photograph of General Robert E.

Lee, 1864

Brady was one of the most

celebrated 19th century American photographers,

best known for his portraits of

celebrities and the documentation of the American Civil

War. He is credited with

being the father of photojournalism.

Mathew Brady (1822-1896)Photograph of war dead, c.1864

Mathew Brady (1822-1896)Photograph of war dead, c.1864

Mathew Brady (1822-1896)

Photograph of war dead, c.1864

Edward Steichen (1879-1973)The Flatiron

Building1904, Photograph

A variety of shapes loom amidst the

rain-soaked air and streets in this

image of New York City’s famous modern-age skyscraper.

Steichen’s image is evocative and

memorable; design and mood are balanced as if

rendered with a brush.

Edward Steichen (1879-1973)

Brooklyn Bridge

Photograph

Edward Steichen (1879-1973)

Brooklyn Bridge,

Photograph

James Van Der Zee (1886-1983)

Couple in Raccoon Coats

1932, Photograph

Van Der Zee lived most of his life in

Harlem, in New York City. He recorded community events and celebrations, emphasizing the dignity, pride and beauty of his local

subjects. His photographs

provide a record of African-American

life during the Harlem

Renaissance.

James Van Der Zee

(1886-1983)Future

Expectations1915,

Photograph

Van Der Zee created a

symbolic vision of these sitters’

hopes and aspirations,

including symbols of the

home they desire, as well

as a superimposed

image of a daughter they might one day

have.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

(1908-2004)Henri Matisse Photograph

Cartier-Bresson’s picture of the artist Henri

Matisse sketching birds in his art studio captures

great varieties of scale, contrast,

and visual texture.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

(1908-2004) Photograph

Cartier-Bresson was able to use

the technology of his camera to

capture a blurred bicyclist—in order

to suggest movement and speed within a

highly structured, geometric

composition.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

(1908-2004) Photograph

The photographer must often be at the right place and snap the

shutter at just the right moment. This requires

planning, patience, and

good judgment.

Alfred Stieglitz(1864-1946)

The Steerage, 1907 Photograph

Form and meaning are evident in the

best-known photograph of this

New York City photographer. We see poor immigrant travelers, crowded in below the deck of a steamship,

separated from the well-to-do

passengers in the privileged section

above them.

Alfred Stieglitz

(1864-1946) Photograph

Public railroad

transportation was

established in the

1800s, and became subject

matter for modern artists— including

Impressionist painters Manet and Monet in France.

Alfred Stieglitz

(1864-1946) Photograph

Snowy streets in New York City make

good visual subject

matter for the high contrast

available in black and

white photography.

Edward Weston

(1886-1958) Photograph

Weston focused on the

form of ordinary

objects. He captured the

beauty of organic forms in his tightly composed images.

Edward Weston(1886-1958)

Photograp

h

The natural forms of shadow and light

in the desert

take on a very

abstract appearan

ce.

Edward Weston(1886-1958)

Photograp

h

Edward Weston(1886-1958)

Photograp

h

Edward Weston(1886-1958)

Photograp

h

Ansel Adams(1902-1984) Photograph

Adams found an emotional response in

the American wilderness. California’s Yosemite

National Park was a favorite

place for Adams to capture

images of nature.

Ansel Adams(1902-1984) Photograph

Adams found an emotional response in

the American wilderness. California’s Yosemite

National Park was a favorite

place for Adams to capture

images of nature.

Ansel Adams(1902-1984) Photograph

Adams manipulated some of his

photos in the darkroom, with much the same

spirit as a painter or printmaker

altering original images in order

to achieve a desired visual and emotional

effect.

Ansel Adams(1902-1984) Photograph

In the early days of

photography, a major

distinction from painting

is that photography

was restricted to black-and-white value,

without color.

Dorothea Lange

(1895-1965) Migrant Mother1936,

Photograph

Lange was a documentary photographer. She was hired

by the US government to photograph the

plight of migrant

workers in California during the

Great Depression of

the 1930s.

Dorothea Lange

(1895-1965) Photograph

Lange was a documentary photographer. She was hired

by the US government to photograph the

plight of migrant

workers in California during the

Great Depression of

the 1930s.

Dorothea Lange

(1895-1965) Photograph

Dorothea Lange

(1895-1965) Migrant Mother1936,

Photograph

Lange was a documentary photographer, famous for her photographs of

poverty-stricken people

during the Great

Depression of the 1930s.