"A canonical volume long overdue, smartly constructed, comprehensive and up-to-date, Hershberger's introductory commentaries are thoughtful, and insightful. Readers uninitiated and scholarly alike will find much to appreciate. Highly recommended!" -- Fredrik Marsh, Guggenheim Fellow
"Hershberger brings the theoretical lineage of photography together in a delightful chronology from early notions of the image to today's digital revolution. It constructs a historical framework for the novice, and provides titillating insights for the cognoscenti." -- Robert Ladislas Derr, The Ohio State University
Photographic Theory: An Historical Anthology offers contemporary readers a comprehensive resource of pertinent articles and information spanning the history of photographic theory, including critical texts first published in Alfred Stieglitz's seminal journal, Camera Work.
Chronologically-organized readings address the entire sweep of photographic theory and thought --from its pre-history and emergence circa 1839; through its evolution within Pictorialism, Modernism, and Postmodernism; and into its startling metamorphosis within contemporary digital imaging. Interdisciplinary issues such as photography's relationships to vision, identity, history, and memory are also examined. Readings reveal the main debates and issues surrounding the nature of photography: What is photography? Is it objective, subjective, transparent, and/or transcendent? Is a photograph a document, a trace, a fetish, an index, and/or a work of art? Is digital photography "photography" at all? Etc. Embodying the entirety of photographic intellectual history, Photographic Theory vividly illustrates the dramatic storylines and impassioned debates that continue to swirl within photographic theory -- and is a volume that is certain to click with scholars and students alike.
Andrew E. Hershberger is Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History and Chair of Art History at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. He has published numerous journal articles in
History of Photography,
Art Journal,
Early Popular Visual Culture,
Analecta Husserliana,
Journal on Excellence in College Teaching,
Academe, and
Arts of Asia.
