REVISION ONLY history of photography

Living in the twenty-first century , a world with few or no images is difficult for us to imagine . We are constantly exposed to pictures in books , magazines , and newss , on television and billboards , and on the wall of our homes and workplaces . At the beginning of the nineteenth century , however , the ordinary person encountered visual images infrequently . The first revolution in this matter came with the introduction of the photographic process in the 1830s . This essay will present the history of photography from 1837-1990 . The main purpose of this is to present

the pivotal photographs of the history of photography and the reason they were considered revolutionary in the art world

Americans loved mechanical gadgets , and once the camera was introduced within three decades - from 1837 to 1870 - the popularity of the photographic image was immense . In this early period , the portrait was the most popular of photographic images , although genre subjects , city views and landscapes were photographed as well . The forthright realism of the early daguerreotype was acceptable for portraiture at all level of American society . John Quincy Adams , for example , although mystified by the process , posed frequently . The full-length portrait of him by Philip Haas (Fig .1 ) is very different from elegant and idealized painted portraits . Adams posed for Haas on request of an artist who whished to use the picture as an aid when he painted Adam 's portrait

Figure 1 Philip Haas

John Quincy Adams , 1843

Daguerreotype

Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York City

In the early 1850s photography underwent important technical changes The wet plate and collodion-coated plate replaced daguerreotype . This simplified and less expensive process and other technical advancements made it possible for photographers to move outside their studios and take pictures of the city and the landscapes . Probably the best known photographer of this period was Mathew B . Brady . He is often referred to as Mr . Lincoln 's Cameraman . While he photographed Lincoln many times , he never caught the essence of his subject as splendidly as in the portrait shown in Figure 2 . Lincoln 's gravity , his craggy , lined , tired face his solemn pensiveness , and rumpled attire - all are given with the visual realism for which the photograph became so famous

Figure 2 Mathew B . Brady

Abraham Lincoln , c . 1863

Photograph

Library of Congress

By 1970 , photography had become a proven medium for documentation , with capabilities for powerful expressiveness . Photography brought portraiture within the grasp of the common man and woman , it turned its eyes upon level of society that had seldom before been depicted , it recorded facts dispassionately , but often most perceptively , and with realism that fascinated . It made graphic illustration an integral part of journalism

With the end of the Civil War , the nation turned to developing its enormous potential . Photographers documented enormous energy and accomplishments of this time . People wanted pictures of the new lands Among the best known photographers who went west , in 1860s and early 1870s , was William Henry Jackson . Jackson was invited to join expedition to...