“Young America” written by Trachtenberg and Stauffer, talked about the rise of daguerreotypes in Antebellum America. During the Antebellum period, the daguerreotype became the preferred way to represent a person or nature in photography.
The most popular type of daguerreotype in America became the portrait, which was represented strongly through the works of Southworth and Hawes. With every photograph made, these men tried to express the inner life or soul of their characters through different effects and expressions of emotion. Through their portraits, Southworth and Hawes were also able to express the differences in gender roles within society. In portraits of men, the artists captured the tension between “boundlessness and consolidation,” while in portraits of women, they sought “beauty of expression.”
A picture can often tell a lot about its photographer, especially their intention and the time period in which they lived. The first photograph I chose, was a basic portrait of an angelic girl whose head is positioned at a slight angle. Her body is very graceful looking, which is a key component in Southworth and Hawes’ portraits of women. Basically what this photograph says is that its photographer was looking to capture the girl in a very elegant and gentile pose as she gazes past the camera towards something in which appears to be “yearning” for. The photograph can also tell you a lot about the time in which it was produced because you can tell from the color and design of the portrait, that it was produced in the mid-1800’s when the Daguerreotype was first becoming prevalent.
The second photograph I chose, was a similar photograph, but different in that this time it was a multiple portrait of a woman in a shawl. According to the caption, “the artist, even in photography, must go beyond discovery and the knowledge of facts; he must create and invent truths and produce new developments of facts.” This photograph clearly indicates that the photo was taken in a later time period because the ability to take multiple portraits means that there was better technology. Although it does differ in that respect, the philosophy behind the two photos remains the same. By this I mean, the woman is trying to look graceful and charismatic while looking at a point beyond the camera itself.
When bringing my own 21st century eyes to these photographs, I can see other readings as well. With the technology today and the definitions about how a “picture tells 1000 words,” I believe there is little difference from now till back then. I’m not saying that the technology of photography hasn’t dramatically changed, but instead more generally, about the meanings behind photographs. From reading photographs I believe you can read very heavily into the lives of the characters as well as their feelings. You get a clear image of how they feel through their facial expression and body language. I’m a firm believer in the saying that “expression is everything,” and so when reading photographs I look at this to create my own unique interpretations.
Photographs today, have a lot to do with recreating the past. They are visual representations of an instance that we wanted to remember. From looking at the colors of photographs and its surroundings, I can get an image of what was exactly going on at that moment. When looking at photos of my family or personal archive, there is no question that I will look at them differently. Right away, I will be able to notice differences in technology and the reasons for why we even take photos. What most of all I think I will take away with me about photography reading, is the way that I can look at an image and either draw comparisons or differences from ones of a previous period; especially after discovering Daguerreotype.
Daguerreotype Portraits
