History of Photography 1839 to 1930s
What you'll learn
- Develop skills in formal and visual analysis
- Develop an understanding of the history of photography and its relationship to social, economic, philosophical, and political contexts
- Learn about a variety of photographers and art movements
- Learn about social, political, and economic histories through analysing photography and art
Requirements
- No experience needed
Description
This history of photography course is an art historical study of photography from its invention in 1839 until the 1930s. History of Photography will focus on the historical developments, trends, styles, and movements that have shaped our understanding of photography. This course consists of chronological and thematic examinations of the role of photography in relation to artistic production, art movements, social, political, and economic history, science, anthropology, landscape, politics, identity, culture, colonialism, war, and portraiture.
We will investigate the vast array of styles, artistic practices, noteworthy photographers, photographic processes, and movements in the medium throughout the period. We will also examine how the photograph has been positioned as a documentary tool and a form of objective truth and look at how this approach has been questioned and re-envisioned. Through this course you will learn how photography has been used to capture and transform the world, its inhabitants, conflicts, triumphs, and histories.
Slide lists with information about the images in the lectures and lists of optional, free online short videos about each topic will be provided for each lecture. I also have a History of Photography: 1930s to 2010s course that covers the second part of photography’s history posted on Udemy.
Who this course is for:
- Learners interested in knowing more about the history of photography and photographic processes
- Photographers
- Artists
Instructor
- 4.8 Instructor Rating
- 10 Reviews
- 73 Students
- 2 Courses
Kristen Hutchinson (they/she) is an adjunct professor of art history, feminism, media studies, and popular culture, visual artist, cultural critic, curator, writer, and editor. She received her PhD in the History of Art from University College London in 2007 and has taught courses at universities and colleges in Canada, the US and the UK. They recently completed a Redefining Canadian Art History Fellowship where she wrote an online, open access book about Kiss & Tell, a lesbian art collective in Vancouver in the 1990s (to be published in 2024). Kristen is a nationally syndicated art and popular culture columnist at CBC Radio and teaches independent seminars in her living room and online. She is currently working to make her book about Kiss & Tell into a feature length documentary and developing a documentary tv series about the history of sex work in Montreal.