ARTH 3800 - History of Photography

Goals: This introductory course will examine the technological, cultural, scientific and artistic aspects of photography from its inception in the early 19th century into the current digital era.

Content: We will study the various photographic technologies and techniques that preceded the modern-day photograph, and how those processes impacted who took pictures and what types of pictures they made. We will investigate the various purposes photographs have served throughout history, such as recording current events and places near and far; investigating society and the human body; depicting movement; and providing evidence. We will explore artistic movements in photography and the use of photography in contemporary art. We will also consider photographers’ efforts to challenge visual perception and photography’s purported link to the external visible world. The course will include a significant gender component; we will study the rise of women photographers at the turn of the 20th century, the representation of women, and the use of photography in feminist contemporary art.

Taught: Alternate years

Prerequisites: ARTH 1200 and ARTH 1210

Credits: 4 credits