Early Photography Research Paper
An Investigation of the History of
Photography and Early Cinema
Before 20th Century
Media History Course
Supervised by
Dr. Jonathan Stubbs
Prepared by
Niwar A. Obaid
December 2, 2013
Introduction
Ever since 1839 photography has become an essential means of communication and expression. In its early years, photography 's unique powers of visual description have been used to record, report, and inform. As stated by Beaumont Newhall (1982: 7), photography "is at once a science and an art" and both aspects are inseparably associated throughout its astounding rise from a substitute for skill of hand to an independent art form. A central role of photography was and still is that it has documented and recorded people 's lives and the world in …show more content…
The first extensive photographic coverage of war was undertaken by Roger Fenton, an Englishman who came to photography from the legal profession, first as an amateur and then as a professional. Later he became the founder of the Photographic Society of London; he then became official photographer to the British Museum (Beaumont Newhall: 1982:85). There were also some photographers who were pioneers of Europe to take part in wars and risky places. When the Civil War broke out in America in 1861, the photographic fraternity took the news lightly. Brady, the former daguerreotypist, had a significant role in dangers and difficulties of combat photography (ibid). His sense for photographic documentation led him to undertake the recording of Civil War. Also, most important was the many portraits Brady made of Abraham Lincolin. There were several other photographers with Brady who were involved in such issues. This clearly proves why the emphasis of historians was on the progress of this medium in Europe and
Photography and Early Cinema
Before 20th Century
Media History Course
Supervised by
Dr. Jonathan Stubbs
Prepared by
Niwar A. Obaid
December 2, 2013
Introduction
Ever since 1839 photography has become an essential means of communication and expression. In its early years, photography 's unique powers of visual description have been used to record, report, and inform. As stated by Beaumont Newhall (1982: 7), photography "is at once a science and an art" and both aspects are inseparably associated throughout its astounding rise from a substitute for skill of hand to an independent art form. A central role of photography was and still is that it has documented and recorded people 's lives and the world in …show more content…
The first extensive photographic coverage of war was undertaken by Roger Fenton, an Englishman who came to photography from the legal profession, first as an amateur and then as a professional. Later he became the founder of the Photographic Society of London; he then became official photographer to the British Museum (Beaumont Newhall: 1982:85). There were also some photographers who were pioneers of Europe to take part in wars and risky places. When the Civil War broke out in America in 1861, the photographic fraternity took the news lightly. Brady, the former daguerreotypist, had a significant role in dangers and difficulties of combat photography (ibid). His sense for photographic documentation led him to undertake the recording of Civil War. Also, most important was the many portraits Brady made of Abraham Lincolin. There were several other photographers with Brady who were involved in such issues. This clearly proves why the emphasis of historians was on the progress of this medium in Europe and