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Book ISBN : 0271009306Format : HardcoverAuthor : Heinz K. Henisch, Bridget A. HenischEdition : Pages : Publisher :
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Book Description
"[The Henisches'] monumental undertaking, the culmination of some 30 years of collecting and research, fills a conspicuous void in the field. They examine manifestations of early photography in everyday life that have never been properly explored, and they do so in a coherent, witty, informed and highly readable prose style. The historical narrative delineates the reception given to the new invention of photography, its rapid spread throughout the world, and its earliest applications. Literary treatments of photographers and photography, travel views, photography and humor, and the use of photographic evidence in the courtroom are topics generously supported by hundreds of high-quality illustrations, many hitherto unpublished. Satisfying to the most exacting scholar and a delight for lay readers, this book deserves a place in every photography, photohistory, cultural history, and Victorian studies collection. It will surely be one of the best books of 1994."—! Library Journal A richly illustrated social and cultural history of photography focusing on the pervasiveness and importance of photography in all aspects of life. "The Photographic Experience is far removed from histories of photography that are concerned with the photograph as masterpiece or the photographer as genius. Indeed, one of the Henisches’ great strengths lies in their fascination with photography in all its manifestations, whether exalted, humble, or even ridiculous. They have produced a book that is likely to remain unique in its freshness of approach and liveliness of presentation."—Graham Smith, University of Michigan Eighteen thirty-nine was the miraculous year in which the two principal inventors of photography—Daguerre in France and Fox Talbot in Great Britain—made their discoveries known to an eager and receptive public. News of the process flashed around the globe, and in no time, enthusiastic pioneers from Auckland to Zanzibar were trying the new invention. Photography took root and flourished. It has since been used in a thousand ways and has changed our modes of perception in many more. The Photographic Experience deals with episodes and issues relating to the spread and practice of photography from its beginnings to World War I. Bridget and Heinz Henisch concern themselves with the reception accorded to the new art by professionals, amateurs, and the general public. They examine reactions to the new invention in the press, literature, poetry, music, and fashion; the response of intellectuals and painters; and the beliefs held by prominent photographers concerning the nature of the medium and its mission. With a wide array of images—many never before published—they illustrate the photograph’s use as a record of public and private moments in life. The Henisches contend that photography became so thoroughly and quickly interwoven with the fabric of society and human experience that its history comprises much more than the story of photographic art and its creators. They examine photographic ephemera and humor, photography and the law, the photographic studio experience, photography and travel, photography and journalism with special attention to advertising and war, the role of photography in politics, photographically illustrated books, the practice of overpainting, photography in the hands of the scholar, and the presentation and use of photographs in their social milieu.
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