Photographs Objects Histories: On the Materiality of Images (Material Cultures)

By Janice Hart

Book Overview

This innovative volume explores the idea that while photographs are images, they are also objects, and this materiality is integral to their meaning and use. The case studies presented focus on photographs active in different institutional, political, religious and domestic spheres, where physical properties, the nature of their use and the cultural formations in which they function make their 'objectness' central to how we should understand them. The book's contributions are drawn from disciplines including the history of photography, visual anthropology and art history, with case studies from a range of countries such as the Netherlands, North America, Australia, Japan, Romania and Tibet. Each shows the methodological strategies they have developed in order to fully exploit the idea of the materiality of photographic images.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415254418
• ISBN13: 9780415254410
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 0.8" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Depth of Focus

I encountered this book while I was conducting research on the social exchange of photographs. Richard Chalfen one of the authors of the book suggested this gem to me. Overall, this volume and its authors collectively offer a deeper understanding of how people use photography in daily life. Contrary to most books on photography, this volume illuminates the ways photographs are cultural objects that have a social life. They are formed/created and they are used, not just for the imagery, but to cement social relations between people. Unlike other books that strictly treat photographs in an aesthetic/art paradigm, this volume considers the vernacular life of photographs. As some of the chapters illustrate, photographs aren't only about the visual, but they serve as conduits and allow interaction outside of simply looking at an image as an observer. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in alternative explanations and observations about visual cultural practices.