Society Changed the Portrait

     

Society changed the Portrait. 

  

Portrait photography certainly has changed throughout history, not only in technique but as well. One would dare to ask, is it photography that has changed or rather the society that gazes through its lens. 

   The early history of the portrait is seen exclusively through the eyes of men, elite social hierarchies with privilege and deep pockets; it is rigid, limited, and underwhelming in its subject matter. Empathy, social imbalance, and minorities were left out of these foggy mirrors of early portraiture to show a person's Sunday best next to hunting rifles, pocket chains, and inflated egos. One could certainly blame the limitations of the new technology on the lack of diversity in the portraits of the 1800s, however, it is very possible that it goes much deeper than just shutter speed. The development of the portrait isn't just about faster, cheaper, and more available, it is truly about the development of society. 

   Perhaps, one could rewrite the history books and give women and minorities a fair chance at the early development of portrait photography. Let's replace Daguerre and Nadar with the minds of women like Sally Mann and Nikki Lee. If women and minorities were allowed access to portrait studios or able to secure funds to travel abroad for scientific studies, it is quite possible that early portraiture could have achieved a more relatable tone and hold significant social importance, rather than curate a world of bleak stone-faced imagery in the Victorian age.  

   When we compare portraiture to history's timeline of social movements, wars, women's liberation movements, and the Jim Crow era, it is then when we see portraiture drastically change and take on its different definitions. During the 50s in America, images of black protests highlighted segregation while the media simultaneously offered up images of black men being arrested and appearing violent. During this same time Seydou Keita, the father of African photography, was showing black men and women in a different light. A light in which African men and women were portrayed as regal, full of heritage and culture. As human nature challenged social constructs, photography challenged its rules of the portrait.