This post is part of a series that charts the history of photography since the 1900s. The series takes a decade by decade look at how the skills a photographer needs have changed in light of technological, economic and societal change.

The snapshot is born!

By the late nineteenth century, photography had already switched from being a niche endeavour to something that was readily available to the middle classes when the Eastman Dry Plate Company in New York began manufacturing the Kodak camera (Warner Marien, 2021).

A smaller, more portable camera that the user did not have to focus contributed to the uptake. The snapshot was born, and although the photographs produced were typically for personal use, the seeds of possibilities were sown.

Pictorialism in photography was still prevalent in the first decade of the twentieth century.  Pictorialism sought to encapsulate the beauty of the subject matter and drew inspiration from the great artists of the past, such as Turner. There was an emphasis on composition, tonality, and artistic statement, rather than a true reflection of reality through photography. 

In 1902, the Photo-Secession movement was founded by Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and others. In many ways, this was in stark contrast to (and perhaps a reaction towards) the simple snapshot, which was seen as a more vulgar style of photography with little artistic merit (Warner Marien, 2021).

The Photo-Secession movement was an attempt to establish photography in its own right and move away from imitating the past masters, as Pictorialism had done. Alfred Steiglitz (1864-1946) held a commanding international reputation for the first half of the twentieth century and did much to promote the notion of photographer as artist. He became vice president of the Camera Club in New York and also became the editor of the Club’s journal, Camera Notes (Hacking, 2001).  

Steiglitz’s network and position allowed new approaches to photography to flourish, which presented its subjects in a more authentic and honest light.  This can be seen in Alfred Stieglitz’s The Steerage (see above). In this image, we see a move away from attempting to produce a carbon copy of a painting, but instead Steiglitz goes for a more realistic portrayal of the scene. In Pictorialism, we often see the subject as the centrepiece of the image, in focus, with everything else more blurred. In contrast, Stieglitz’s composition is a lot busier, the viewer’s eye is allowed to meander around the bustle of the scene, the composition and form of the image look more like a scene one would expect to see on a crowded ship than an idealised version.  

Straight Photography

This shift in approach points to the development of straight photography. Straight photography differed from Pictorialism in a number of ways, with straight photography, it was clear that you were looking at a photograph and as an art form photography was finally beginning to break away from living in the shadow of painting and was establishing itself in its own right.

For Badger (2014) Steiglitz represents a bridge between Pictorialism and a newer style of photography by imbuing his works with “a strange mixture of conservative and radical.” Steiglitz’s magazine and gallery became a platform for many aspiring photographers, such as Paul Strand, who Steiglitz admired for pushing the boundaries of photography even further:

“The work is brutally direct. Devoid of all flim-flam; devoid of trickery and any ‘ism’; devoid of any attempt to mystify an ignorant public, including the photographers themselves. These photographs are the direct expression of today.”

(Badger, 2014)

This faithful depiction of a scene, or lack of “flim-flam” as Stieglitz puts it, ushered in a new era of photography.  Straight photography, pioneered by Stieglitz and Strand, moved away from an idealised interpretation of a scene. Straight photography (also often referred to as pure photography) relies on the camera’s own technical capacity to produce sharply focused images that are rich in detail. There are many subsets to straight photography, such as documentary photography, street photography and Photojournalism that are still in use today (discussed in future posts).

The commercial success of colour photography by the Lumière brothers in 1907 also had a significant impact on the changing role of photography in broader society. Building on their previous work with motion pictures the brothers, Auguste and Louis, began work on camera production which took large-format 75mm films. By 1907 they had fully developed the photographic colour process, called the Lumière Autochrome.

The autochrome plates were complicated to make, but relatively easy for amateur photographers to adopt as they could be used with their existing cameras. The exposure times were still relatively long though, making the use of a tripod and the need for good lighting essential with moving subjects out of the question (Science and Media Museum, 2009).

Enjoying the series? Jump forward to the 1910s for the next post.

Relevant Photography Skills in the 1900s

• Artistic vision and creativity: With the introduction of colour photography the process of creating a beautiful image requires an understanding of colour schemes and lighting (as evidenced in Steiglitz’s work, amongst others).
• Exhibition management: Steiglitz managed a number of exhibitions showcasing the works of other photographers through the Photo-Secession movement, such as Steichen.  Even today, preparing work for an exhibition is a valuable skill in a photographer’s repertoire.
• Detail oriented: Straight photography requires a meticulous attention to detail, at both the planning and production stages, which helps to make marginal gains when developing the perfect image.

References

Badger, G. (2014) ‘The Genius of Photography.’ Quadrille Publishing, London

Hacking, J. (2021). ‘Photography: The whole story.’ Thames and Hudson Ltd.

Warner Marien, M. (2021). ‘Photography: A Cultural History.’ Fifth edition. Laurence King Publishing.