Since photography first appeared in the first half of the nineteenth century, the medium has developed rapidly alongside technological and social change. Photography not only evolved, but captured with it a legacy of days gone by. As we browse through the different forms of photography we gain an insight into the attitudes and lifestyles of those before us.

For those of us who's interest in early photography stems from an interest in family or local history, a photograph of a significant person or location can have a profound impact. The first step in preserving and understanding these images is to identify how the photograph was produced. As you will see, for the untrained eye some early types of photographs can be hard to differentiate.

The scope of photography over the past 150 years has been enormous, with most industries and professions using photographic technology in one way or another. For this document we have decided to focus on the history of popular photography.

Here you will find an illustrated introduction to the forms of photography that played an important role in the social and family aspect of the times. During the nineteenth century most of these such images were studio portraits. Entering into the twentieth century a more candid and insightful record of social life entered the popular photographic vocabulary.

It must be noted that this is not an exhaustive history of photographic techniques but covers the photographic images most likely to be found in your collections.

 

Visual Heritage