A (Very) Short History of Photography

Notre Dame

Nicole Woods is an art historian at the University of Notre Dame. Woods’ research focuses on the historical and neo-avant-gardes, performance and conceptual art, gender studies, critical race theory, and the history of photography. She also has taught at the University of California, Irvine and Loyola Marymount University. Professor Woods is the recipient of several prominent research grants, including The Andy Warhol Foundation’s Arts Writers Grant.

Overview

Since the birth of photography, we have used the camera to record all experiences of humanity—indeed, our contemporary lives are saturated with visual images. But photography is a contested medium for creative expression and documentation. Should photographs be seen as veridical representations of the world — windows into the nature of ourselves more trusted than our own senses? Or are photographs artistic forms — inventing truth, not simply documenting it? And what are the moral/ethical dimensions of photography? What, if anything, is owed to the subject of a photograph? This (very) short introduction to the history of photography will grapple with these questions: from examining its beginnings in the 1830s, to the uses of photography in various art movements, to the recent practices by contemporary photographers and artists working in the context of postmodernity.

Learn more about the history of photography

With new educational and entertaining history lectures every week, we’re constantly adding great history of photography courses to our library. Listen to history and political courses online & on-demand, including courses in history, politics, & international relations, political theory courses, political psychology courses, and some of the best online history lectures from top professors in the country. Below are some recent additions as well as some student favorites, including 6000 Years Of Religion, American Democracy: Where Are We Now, & FDR & The Evolution Of An American Ideal. You can browse by category or by typing some keywords into the search bar to the left. Access to all recorded history lectures comes standard with our membership, click here to learn more. Please note: all Livestream (Upcoming) times are in EDT unless otherwise noted. Enjoy!

 

Reviews

N/A

0 reviews
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Scroll to Top