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How did photographic societies encourage people to see photography as an art form?
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History of photography
Child with Striped Dress (Younger Raab Child), autochrome photograph by Alfred Stieglitz, 1907; in the Art Institute of Chicago.
Photographic societies played a pivotal role in establishing photography as a fine art by shifting the medium's focus from purely mechanical or scientific documentation toward aesthetic expression.
Key methods used by these societies included:
- Organizing Exhibitions: Groups like the Brotherhood of the Linked Ring held annual exhibitions called "salons"—a term borrowed from the painting world—to demonstrate the artistic intent of their work. They innovated display techniques by hanging photographs at eye level rather than crowding them from floor to ceiling.12
- Promoting Artistic Principles: Societies encouraged photographers to apply established fine art principles to their work. This included using compositional formulas from painting, emphasizing balance, and manipulating focus or tonality to create atmospheric effects.34
- Advocating for Creative Control: To distinguish photography from mechanical reproduction, many photographers employed techniques such as combining multiple negatives into one print, using special printing methods like gum bichromate, and performing hand-work on negatives.34
- Publishing and Discourse: Societies utilized journals and books, such as Henry Peach Robinson’s Pictorial Effect in Photography, to teach artistic techniques and foster debate regarding the medium's aesthetic potential.34