Still writing it up but this is what it will cover . . . comments invited
Real or Not - Manipulation in Photography
1. Portrait touch-ups
2. Spirit or wonders photography
3. Journalism
4. Science
5. Art
6. Advertising
Fakery for money
Fakery for illumination
Unwitting Fakery
Fakery for fun
Journalism
Science photography
1. Medical
2. Astronomical
3. Nature
4. Observational, structural
5. Geological
6. Anthropological
Methods of fakery
Methods of improving trustworthiness
Why we fake
Does it matter?
Friday, 7 October 2011
Monday, 3 October 2011
Nadar said of himself
"
His description of himself was of "A superficial intelligence, which has touched on too many subjects to have allowed time to explore any in depth... A dare-devil, always on the lookout for currents to swim against, oblivious of public opinion, irreconcilably opposed to any sign of law and order. A jack-of-all-trades who smiles out of the corner of his mouth and snarls with the other, coarse enough to call things by their real names, and people too - never one to miss the chance to talk of rope in the house of a hanged man." It was his description of himself.
Memories du Geant, 1864
Some Astronomical Photos (and a non astronomical snowflake)
Moon Daguerrotype
1851
John Whipple
Earliest Surviving Photo of Moon
Daguerrotype
1839
John Draper
Orion Nebula
1883
Andrew Ainslie Common
Snowflake
1885
William Bentley
Some photos of and from the non west
Andamann Islanders Fishing
1870
Albumen
Woman at Toilette
Flower Seller Japan
1870
Hand Painted Albumen
Group of Samurai
1880
Kusakabe Kimbei
Hand Painted Albumen
Two Malayan Women
1860 - 1869?
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Dickens says
Then, does it appear to me that in this age three things are clamorously required of Man in the miscellaneous thoroughfares of the metropolis. Firstly, that he have his boots cleaned. Secondly, that he eat a penny ice. Thirdly, that he get himself photographed. Then do I speculate, What have those seam-worn artists been who stand at the photograph doors in Greek caps, sample in hand, and mysteriously salute the public - the female public with a pressing tenderness - to come in and be 'took'? What did they do with their greasy blandishments, before the era of cheap photography?
Charles Dickens 1860
Charles Dickens 1860
thanks Elizabeth
Wow Elizabeth they're great! I love the Zoopraxiscope disc, wouldn't that make a great prop indeed!
(I am looking at a stack of cds in the case they come in where they all sit on a spindle, and wondering.. how to fix translucent perspex with horses drawn on it.. between 2 cds + spin it around the spindle.. hmmm.
Can't post comments as you know.. so have to post here. I am excited by your information.. looks very good indeed. I like the uncovering of the Dickens story, that's very interesting.
(I am looking at a stack of cds in the case they come in where they all sit on a spindle, and wondering.. how to fix translucent perspex with horses drawn on it.. between 2 cds + spin it around the spindle.. hmmm.
Can't post comments as you know.. so have to post here. I am excited by your information.. looks very good indeed. I like the uncovering of the Dickens story, that's very interesting.
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Maybridge, Muggeridge,Muybridge - Edward, Eadweard (aka Helios) , He had identity issues . . .
Hi, some stuff on Muybridge.
He was a madman. Finis.
Hired by Stanford to look at motion in horses. Invented bunch of equipment, took lots of studies that showed all hooves are off ground momentarily when horses gallop.
Hired by University of Pennsylvania to do more motion studies. Took 100,000+ photos, invented equipment.
Zoopraxiscope disc by Eadweard Muybridge
Muybridge patent model of method and apparatus for photographing objects in motion, March 4, 1879
Motion Studies
Eadweard Muybridge
Movement of the hand, drawing a circle
1887
Eadweard Muybridge
Head-spring, a Flying Pigeon Interfering
1885
Eadweard Muybridge
Descending stairs and turning around
1884-85
Eadweard Muybridge
Turning around in surprise and running away
1884-85
[Really?!!]
Eadweard Muybridge
Wrestling: Graeco-Roman
1884-85
He was a madman. Finis.Started as a publishers agent and bookseller. Took up photography useing wet collodion (along with whole rest of world). initially landscape but did advertise himself as a portraitist.
Hired by Stanford to look at motion in horses. Invented bunch of equipment, took lots of studies that showed all hooves are off ground momentarily when horses gallop.Hired by University of Pennsylvania to do more motion studies. Took 100,000+ photos, invented equipment. A phenakistoscope disc by Eadweard Muybridge (1893)
The zoopraxiscope is an early device for displaying motion pictures. Created by photographic pioneer Eadweard Muybridge in 1879, it may be considered the first movie projector. The zoopraxiscope projected images from rotating glass disks in rapid succession to give the impression of motion. The stop-motion images were initially painted onto the glass, as silhouettes. A second series of discs, made in 1892-94, used outline drawings printed onto the discs photographically, then colored by hand. Some of the animated images are very complex, featuring multiple combinations of sequences of animal and human movement.
Zoopraxiscope disc by Eadweard Muybridge
Muybridge patent model of method and apparatus for photographing objects in motion, March 4, 1879
Motion Studies
Eadweard Muybridge
Movement of the hand, drawing a circle
1887
Eadweard Muybridge
Head-spring, a Flying Pigeon Interfering
1885
Eadweard Muybridge
Descending stairs and turning around
1884-85
Eadweard Muybridge
Turning around in surprise and running away
1884-85
[Really?!!]
Eadweard Muybridge
Wrestling: Graeco-Roman
1884-85
Some faked photos
Of course, fakery is sometimes a way of illuminating truth . . .
Above: c.1860. This portrait of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is a composite of Lincoln’s head and the Southern politician John Calhoun’s body. Technique of Fakery: Composite Images, Drawn-in Details.
IN THIS PHOTO BY MATHEW BRADY, GENERAL SHERMAN IS SEEN POSING WITH HIS GENERALS. GENERAL FRANCIS P. BLAIR (FAR RIGHT) WAS ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH.
C. 1864. THIS PRINT PURPORTS TO BE OF GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT IN FRONT OF HIS TROOPS AT CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. IT IS A COMPOSITE OF THREE SEPARATE PRINTS:
Photography lost its innocence many years ago. Only a few decades after Niepce created the first photograph in 1814, photographs were already being manipulated”
- Hany Farid professor of computer science at Dartmouth College. I lead the image science group whose research focuses on topics in digital forensics, image analysis, computer vision, and human perception
With thanks to howtobearetronaut.com
From the museumofhoaxes.com
Technique of Fakery: False Caption, Staged Scene.
During the 1830s there was a race among inventors to be the first to perfect the photographic process. Louis Daguerre won the race (at least, he was the first to patent a process) and gained all the glory. This left some other inventors feeling bitter. Frenchman Hippolyte Bayard had independently invented a rival photographic process known as direct positive printing, and had done so as early as Daguerre, but his invention didn't earn him fame and riches. Frustrated, he created a photograph to express his feelings. It showed himself pretending to be a suicide victim. He wrote an explanatory note on the back of it:
Despite his frustration at being underappreciated, Bayard continued to be a productive photographer. Two years later, in recognition of his contributions, he was given a prize of 3000 francs by the Societe d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale.
References:
Hippolyte Bayard. Wikipedia.
Lester, P. (1991). Photojournalism: An Ethical Approach. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: 91-92.
References:
Lester, P. (1991). Photojournalism: An Ethical Approach. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: 92.
A Sharpshooter’s Last Sleep
Technique of Fakery: Staged Scene, Movable Prop.
Alexander Gardner and his assistants took a series of photographs showing the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. These photos were published in Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the Civil War, a work which proved very influential in defining the image of the Civil War for many Americans.
But in 1961 Frederic Ray, art director of the Civil War Times, noticed that two of the photographs, taken in different locations on the battlefield, appeared to show the same corpse. In one scene (top) a Confederate soldier's corpse lay on the southern slope of Devil's Den. Gardner had captioned this photo "A Sharpshooter's Last Sleep."
But in another scene (bottom) the body had moved forty yards to a rocky niche. Gardner captioned this photo "The Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter." Apparently Gardner had moved the soldier's corpse to the rocky outcropping for the sake of creating a more dramatic image. He even turned the soldier's head to face the camera and leaned a gun against the rocks.
Although Gardner identified the soldier as a sharpshooter, the weapon beside him is not a sharpshooter's rifle. It was probably a prop, placed there by Gardner.
References:
Moving the Body, Hoaxipedia article.
The Case of the Moved Body, Library of Congress.
Ray. F. (Oct 1961). "The Case of the Rearranged Corpse." Civil War Times. 3(6): 19.
Dickens in America - Technique of Fakery: Drawn-in Details.
In 1867 the popular author Charles Dickens toured the United States. His tour manager signed an agreement with the New York photographers Jeremiah Gurney & Son, assuring them they would have the exclusive right to photograph Dickens during his visit. However, in December 1867 the New York Daily Tribune proudly announced it had persuaded the author to sit for a photo at the Mathew Brady studio on Broadway. The public was invited to go view the portrait (top). This prompted a protest from the Gurneys who denounced the Brady photo as a fake. Modern research indicates the Gurneys were right.
Historian Malcolm Andrews discovered that somehow the Mathew Brady studio had obtained an 1861 portrait of Dickens (middle) taken by the Watkins brothers in England. It was a portrait Dickens had never liked, privately remarking that he looked "grim and wasted" in it. But the Brady studio tidied it up, offering an early example of what was possible, even in the 1860s, with darkroom techniques.
The Brady studio thickened and combed the author's hair, smoothed his face, gave him a stylish mustache, and added a buttonhole to his lapel as well as a dress-shirt front. The result was a significantly fresher-looking Dickens. The Daily Tribune promised its readers that the portrait showed "Mr. Dickens just as he is in his readings."
In reality, Dickens looked quite different, because by 1867 he had lost much of the hair he had in 1861. The bottom photo, taken by the Gurney studio, shows what Dickens actually looked like during his American tour.
References:
I'll post some more, when I can, having trouble with maintaining a connection, on scientific photography, and of course, spirit photography as well as a synopsis of my thoughts on real photography and truth.
IN THIS PHOTO BY MATHEW BRADY, GENERAL SHERMAN IS SEEN POSING WITH HIS GENERALS. GENERAL FRANCIS P. BLAIR (FAR RIGHT) WAS ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH.
C. 1864. THIS PRINT PURPORTS TO BE OF GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT IN FRONT OF HIS TROOPS AT CITY POINT, VIRGINIA, DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. IT IS A COMPOSITE OF THREE SEPARATE PRINTS:
Photography lost its innocence many years ago. Only a few decades after Niepce created the first photograph in 1814, photographs were already being manipulated”
- Hany Farid professor of computer science at Dartmouth College. I lead the image science group whose research focuses on topics in digital forensics, image analysis, computer vision, and human perception
With thanks to howtobearetronaut.com
From the museumofhoaxes.com
Portrait of the Photographer as a Drowned Man - Hippolyte Bayard
Technique of Fakery: False Caption, Staged Scene.
During the 1830s there was a race among inventors to be the first to perfect the photographic process. Louis Daguerre won the race (at least, he was the first to patent a process) and gained all the glory. This left some other inventors feeling bitter. Frenchman Hippolyte Bayard had independently invented a rival photographic process known as direct positive printing, and had done so as early as Daguerre, but his invention didn't earn him fame and riches. Frustrated, he created a photograph to express his feelings. It showed himself pretending to be a suicide victim. He wrote an explanatory note on the back of it:
The corpse which you see here is that of M. Bayard, inventor of the process that has just been shown to you. As far as I know this indefatigable experimenter has been occupied for about three years with his discovery. The Government which has been only too generous to Monsieur Daguerre, has said it can do nothing for Monsieur Bayard, and the poor wretch has drowned himself. Oh the vagaries of human life....! ... He has been at the morgue for several days, and no-one has recognized or claimed him. Ladies and gentlemen, you'd better pass along for fear of offending your sense of smell, for as you can observe, the face and hands of the gentleman are beginning to decay.
So while Bayard is not remembered as the first to invent photography, he is remembered for a different kind of first — the first to fake a photograph.References:
Hippolyte Bayard. Wikipedia.
Lester, P. (1991). Photojournalism: An Ethical Approach. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: 91-92.
Street Urchins with Chestnuts
Technique of Fakery: Staged Scene, Movable Prop.
A street urchin tosses a chestnut in the air as his bored companion looks on. It may look like a real-life scene caught by the camera, but in fact it is staged. Cameras were too slow in the 1850s to record something as quick-moving as a tossed chestnut. Therefore Oscar Rejlander (who is sometimes called the Father of Art Photography) suspended a chestnut in mid-air with a piece of fine thread in order to create the scene. The thread is barely visible if you examine a larger version of the picture.
References:
Lester, P. (1991). Photojournalism: An Ethical Approach. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: 92.
A Sharpshooter’s Last Sleep
Technique of Fakery: Staged Scene, Movable Prop.
Alexander Gardner and his assistants took a series of photographs showing the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. These photos were published in Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the Civil War, a work which proved very influential in defining the image of the Civil War for many Americans.
But in 1961 Frederic Ray, art director of the Civil War Times, noticed that two of the photographs, taken in different locations on the battlefield, appeared to show the same corpse. In one scene (top) a Confederate soldier's corpse lay on the southern slope of Devil's Den. Gardner had captioned this photo "A Sharpshooter's Last Sleep."
But in another scene (bottom) the body had moved forty yards to a rocky niche. Gardner captioned this photo "The Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter." Apparently Gardner had moved the soldier's corpse to the rocky outcropping for the sake of creating a more dramatic image. He even turned the soldier's head to face the camera and leaned a gun against the rocks.
Although Gardner identified the soldier as a sharpshooter, the weapon beside him is not a sharpshooter's rifle. It was probably a prop, placed there by Gardner.
References:
Moving the Body, Hoaxipedia article.
The Case of the Moved Body, Library of Congress.
Ray. F. (Oct 1961). "The Case of the Rearranged Corpse." Civil War Times. 3(6): 19.
Dickens in America - Technique of Fakery: Drawn-in Details.
In 1867 the popular author Charles Dickens toured the United States. His tour manager signed an agreement with the New York photographers Jeremiah Gurney & Son, assuring them they would have the exclusive right to photograph Dickens during his visit. However, in December 1867 the New York Daily Tribune proudly announced it had persuaded the author to sit for a photo at the Mathew Brady studio on Broadway. The public was invited to go view the portrait (top). This prompted a protest from the Gurneys who denounced the Brady photo as a fake. Modern research indicates the Gurneys were right.
Historian Malcolm Andrews discovered that somehow the Mathew Brady studio had obtained an 1861 portrait of Dickens (middle) taken by the Watkins brothers in England. It was a portrait Dickens had never liked, privately remarking that he looked "grim and wasted" in it. But the Brady studio tidied it up, offering an early example of what was possible, even in the 1860s, with darkroom techniques.
In reality, Dickens looked quite different, because by 1867 he had lost much of the hair he had in 1861. The bottom photo, taken by the Gurney studio, shows what Dickens actually looked like during his American tour.
References:
• Andrews, M. (2004). "Mathew Brady's Portrait of Dickens: 'a fraud and imposition on the public'?" History of Photography. 28(4): 375-379.
I just bought these Civil War photos as a class handout
Hello Ladies I just purchased these as part of the class engagement process. They are more aligned to your subject Alicia. I have asked the seller to send them straight away. Hopefully the class will enjoy them, and perhaps we can talk about CDV's and how they were made with the woodbury process, and that they were traded amongst families (more information about CDV's , down below on the blog)
I am also bidding on some more, and in particular a Nadar one. If I am unsuccessful in my bidding, what I might do is try to reproduce the images by printing them onto card, to add to the originals I have just purchased. This may be all that I do for the class engagement exercise, because of time restrictions by the time we hand out a pinhole camera, albumen prints, a flip book, and these photos. I want us to get a good mark for all our effort!
The Seller has advised me "They are what we call Civil War Era 1861-1864 and the stamp on the back verifies it".I am also bidding on some more, and in particular a Nadar one. If I am unsuccessful in my bidding, what I might do is try to reproduce the images by printing them onto card, to add to the originals I have just purchased. This may be all that I do for the class engagement exercise, because of time restrictions by the time we hand out a pinhole camera, albumen prints, a flip book, and these photos. I want us to get a good mark for all our effort!
these would be fun to do as kind of stereoscopic viewers
these would be fun to do as kind of stereoscopic viewers (if only the slides were of our era!!)
trickery photo for you Elizabeth
I thought you might like this one in light of the conversations we've been having regarding the trickery in photography in that period. A lame photo compared to what you're talking about Elizabeth, but you never know, it still alludes to trickery. I would have purchased it for you but it wasn't an original, only a photocopy.
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