History of Photography Podcast

History of Photography Podcast 11 : The Cyanotype

The cyanotype was one of the earliest photographic processes and with its rich, blue color, remains one of the most beautiful. Invented in 1842 by the amazingly prolific

History of Photography Podcast 10 : The Kodak Brownie

The Kodak Brownie camera was one of the most popular cameras in the history of photography. The Brownie popularized low-cost photography and introduced the concept of the

History of Photography Podcast 9 : Latent Image and Immediate Image

When light sensitive material is exposed to light, a chemical change happens, but this change isn’t necessarily visible. This idea is perhaps part of why early photograph

History of Photography Podcast 8 : Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky

The photographs of pioneer color photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863–1944) give us a remarkable view into a world that is now lost – the Russian Empire

History of Photography Podcast 7 : Tina Modotti

Tina Modotti (1896 – 1942) was an Italian photographer who was most active in Mexico between 1923 and 1930. Known for her romantic and business relationship with Edward W

History of Photography Podcast 6 : Looking at Photographs

John Szarkowski’s book Looking at Photographs: 100 Pictures from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art is one of the best ways to learn not only about the history of

History of Photography Podcast 5 : Gordon Parks

Photographer Gordon Parks, born 1912 and died 2006, was one of the most important figures of twentieth century photography. A humanitarian with a deep commitment to socia

History of Photography Podcast 4 : James Van Der Zee

Photographer James Van Der Zee was active from the 1920s through the late 1970s, working primarily in his native Harlem neighborhood in New York city.  Through his elegan

History of Photography Podcast 3 : The Family of Man

When the exhibition The Family of Man opened in January of 1955, 60 years ago this month, visitors were greeted by more than 500 photographs and these words by the poet C

History of Photography Podcast 2 : Lisette Model

Photographer Lisette Model, born in Vienna, Austria in 1901 and died 1983,  was an important street photographer of the early 20th century, defining much of what would be

History of Photography Podcast 1 : Photo History 2.0

Welcome to the History of Photography Podcast 2.0! Having retired from my college teaching job, I’m no longer teaching the photo history class, but I have lots of other

Photo History – Class 15 – Photograph as Document, Concept as Photograph

The 15th and final class session examines documentary and conceptual photography, looking at the motivation and rationale behind them. We also try to tie up the ideas of

Photo History – Class 14 – Szarkowski: How To See

During his 29-year tenure as Director of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the great curator and photographer John Szarkowski (1925 to 2

Photo History – Class 13 – The Atomic Age and New Frontiers

The middle of the 20th century was a time of tremendous change in all areas of the world and especially in the world of photography. This class session looks at the chang

Photo History – Class 12 – The Manipulative Impulse

Is any photograph real? This question comes up as we trace the trajectory of the manipulated image in this class session. We also try to see if we can figure out where ou

Photo History – Class 11 – Women in Photography

Is anatomy destiny? This class session looks at women’s photography by examining the work of various female photographers as well as by looking at the bigger issue of whe

Photo History – Class 10 – Cameras Big and Small

This week, we examine photographers using large cameras and those using small cameras and try to examine the importance of the choice of tools to the photographer. Does t

Photo History – Class 9 – Stieglitz and the Photo Secession

One of the great characters in the history of the medium, Alfred Stieglitz was also one of the most influential photographers and promoters of photography of the 20th cen

Photo History – Class 8 – Muybridge, Marey and the Movies

Stop-motion photography as practiced by Edweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey and others is the topic of this class session. These scientific experiments ultimately l

Photo History – Class 7 – Stereography and Standard Subjects

A slightly shorter class session, as we cover three smaller topics: 1) the ideas surrounding stereoscopic photography, 2) the way 19th century photographers handled photo