Victorian Photography

8/17/2019 Victorian Photography

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Victorian Photographyand

Literary Nostalgia

EEN GROH

OXORUS SS


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Lt oIutton

7) Grshm Collctio Harry Rasom RsorcCtr Uivrsty of Txas Asti. 7

2 Thomas Lwi's gravig of Camro's Ela' from ThWork of Alfd Tyo 7 Camridg UivrsityLirary

22 Thomas w's gravig of Camro's Arthr' from ThWork of Alfd Tyo 7 ; Camridg UivrsityLrary

23 Jla Margart Camro photographic illstratio ofArthr' from Illtto to Tyo' Idyll of th Kg7; Grshim Collctio Harry Rasom RsorcCtr Uivrsity of Txas Asti.

2 Jla Margart Camro Arthr drawg Excalir from

Illtrato to Tyo' Idyll of th Kg 7;Grshim Collcto Harry Rasom Rsorc CtrUivrsiy of Txas Asti.

2 Thomas Lwi's gravig of Camro's Mad from ThWork of Alfd Tyo 7 ); Camridg Uivrsityrary.

2 Jlia Margart Camro Mad from Illtrato toTyo Idyll of th Kg 7; Grshim CollctioHarry Rasom Rsorc Ctr Uivrsty o f Txas Asti

27 Portrat of Agsta Wstr from E. C. Stdma Somodo Pots' Har' Nw Mothly Magaz 2;Camrdg Uivrsy rary

2 Portrait ofAgs Mary Fracs Roiso from E. C StdmaSom Lodo Pots' Ha' Nw Mothly Magaz

2; Camrdg Uvrsity rary ady Clmtia Haward Uttld ; Victora ad

Art Msm

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C HAPT E R ONE

ntroductionMy darst Miss Mtford do yo ow aythig aot thatwodrfl vto of th day calld th Dagrroyp[]-that is hav yo s ay portrats prodcd y masof t Th of a ma sttg dow th s lavig hs facsimil i all its fll compltio of otli shadow stdfast[] o a plat at th d of a mt a half!! Th Msmrcdsmodimt of spirits striks o as a dgr lss marvllosAd svral of ths wodrfl portrats . . . li gravigsoly xsit ad dlcat yod th wor of gravr-havI s latly-logg to hav sch a mmoral of vry Bigdar to m i th world. It is ot mrly th likss which isprcos sch cass t th associatio th ss of arss ivolvd i th thg . th fact of th vry shadow of thprso lyg thr xd for vr!It is th vry sacticatioof portraits I thiad it is ot at all mostros i m tosay what my rothrs cry ot agaist so vhmtly . . . thatI wold rathr hav sch a mmori al of o I darly lovd thath olst Artst's wor vr prodcd.

Elizath Barr tt Browg to Mary Rssll Mitford

fe eeng e t dageeoype n 3 Elabet BaetBowning woe n excitemen o e fiend May Rel MifodTyng to capte e wonde e fel in wod e eaced fo eanalogy of memem Inpied by e idea of te pit of a itecag foeve on a metal pate e anfomed a mple potano a n ncanny likene a gotl ke ge mmoned fom beyondte gave by te necomtc a of e dageeoypt. Fo a

1 izb Brr Brwning r Rss ird 7 cmb 4 L f Ezb B Bw1g M R/ Mf d rdi B Rmnd nd r Rs Svn {Wind Kn AsgBwning L ibrr Br nivrsi T Brwning Insi Wdgs rssnd Ws Cg 19 3 ii . 3 57 .


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Introducton

momet time tood ti ad omethig had hifted i BaettBowig peceptio of the wod. Suddey the mit of whatcoud be thought ad imagied the peet ad the futue hadwideed to take accout of othewe fogotte face mometive ad cee. Viewed though the e of Baett Bowigexctemet Daguee maveou mage exteded the pobiitieof memoy to icude the te a peevatio of a ite umbe ofioated fagmet of time.

Th book tace the vaou way i which th dee to aet tmewa take up by wte photogaphe pubihe ad coumei the decade immediate y foowig the iveto of photogaphy.Recet ctica wok o the ea tiohip be twee ieteethceuyead photogaphy ha focued mucheeded ctica attetoo the way which the vetio of photogaphy compcated theaway toubed diticto bewee uo ad tuth eaim adomace the Victoia peiod.2 But the impact of photogaphy othe otagc cotuctio of Victoia iteay cutue bo th the adow ti ema to be expoed. The ea y expeimet with photo

gaphg the ve ad wok of poet that the foowig chapeaaye may eem beeft of ucay viua effect whte cad pe-pube cet gi o authetic ight ito pat itua of eveydayife Yet the amatio of the photogaphc image ito ovetyiteay hetoc ad fom evea the aiou way i whch ph otogaphy cotbuted to the emegece of ew pubihg pacticethat ecouaged the aociatio of eadig iteatue with a ef-cociouy mode ee of cutua otagia ad coevatio.Th may eem at t to be pofoudy atithetica to both photo-gaphy democatig effect ad the wok of poet who actveyeited the mpact of modety o taditoa at ad i ve yet thodd foma cohabitato wa eatvey uccefu. The coatio

of poety wth a ideaed oto of tadito wa i effect theymboc cuecy of a thoe i the buie of eg poety to awide aud ece though popua fom uch a the gif book t ave

T rcn wrk nnir Grn-Lwis nd Nnc Armsrng xmpi iscriic mpsis nni Grnwis Fming the Victoins Photogphy ndthe Cultue of Relism (Ic rn Unirs rss 199 nd NncArmsrng Fition in the Age of Photogphy The egy of Bitish Relism(mridg ss Hrrd Unirsi Pss 199 9

Rmnd Wims Keywods A Vobuly of Cultue nd Soiety (Lndnnn 97, 879.

Introducton 3

guide magic ate how wokg me' editio of veeceebty potat memoabiia ad memeto that ae the ubectof thi book Ideed oe of the e paatabe apect of theeoe bataty commecia fom fo the iteay htoa the uapoogetic bowdeiatio of the poetic text to ampfy itotagic effect Yet thi ao whee the citica iteet ad

hitoica gicace ie. Rathe tha impy cofomg to theVictoa ibea eite gim pogoe about the deeteiou impactof pubc opio o the aced ibety of wte ad att toidvdua expeio thee fom eact ad iumiate the po-ifeatio a much a the tadadatio of fom of vua aditeay expeece a apidy expadig ad divee cutua edIceagy depedet upo a poductive coextece of teatuead the maketpace the cotou of th ed wee mapped adefoced by the eegetc itepay betwee the etace adevtabe compicity of thoe wite ad att who eued togoig vtaity. Fo depte the axiete of citic uch a CayeMi od Ruk ad othe the apd expaio of mdde

bow tate ad faho payed a cuci a oe hapig the way which Vctoa iteay ad cutua vaue wee foged ad pomugated Th i patcuay appaet i the itace of photogaphcmediatio ad maketig of iteay text that wi be coveed hee Patica deo exteve tudy of the pted mage ad thetafomatio of ieteethcetuy popua cutue ha howiutato payed a pivota oe the gowg teacy of the owemidde ad wokig ca e.5 d whie the ovety o photogaphicutatio woud ot d it way to a exteded maket uti thea decae of the cetuy the tugge that bega i the 6 toepoduce photogaph ceagy affodabe fom dcate atog coective dee to eae that pob ty

Oe of the chaege o Vctoia pubihe wa to maketphotogaphic utatio a a uique fom a fagmet of tme

Ts psng is rwn rm cr pmic n S i OnLi On ibety nd Othe Essys (Nw rk: Ord Unrsi ss 9918.

Prici Andrsn The Pinted ge nd the Tsfoto of Popul Cultue7-o (Oxrd rndn Prss 199. S s Rird Aik The ElihComon Rede (icg Univrsi cg Prss 9 7 Wi im Pints nd Visul Coii0 (mridg ss. T Prs 99 GrWkmn Vitoin Boo llusttio: The Tehicl Revolutio (Nwn ADid & rs 97


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Intoduction

foeve cag on e poogape plae o eco Bae Bown-ing wo. Ti i wee vee fagmen by famo poe weepaicaly epfl Poey o aegicaly pace poeic efeencepovie a eqence an a legiimizing aeeic aiion anfoming oewie nemakabe ancape poogap o ee

cene ino colecible memeno. elaively ae exampe of iecniqe i Baccio Baninelli image of an ol booka a e baeof e ae of Giovanni e Meici wic wa fame by a fagmenfom Bowning The Ring nd The Book (ee ig. ).

Pbli e in a vome evoe o acing e inence of loenceon e poey of bo Bowning i painak ingly iea macingof image an ex emonae e nex between cloe eaing annoagia poogapic ilaion encoage. Te meicanao of i volme nna Benneon McMaan eniaic-ay conigne e bec o epia b in e poce e alo ewaenion o ow ei wok col inve e conempoay oiexpeience of e ee of oence wi a ene of live ioy.

Te ae in book aking place in Banineli poogap niceyeinfoce i impeion offeing eae a li ce of loenine eeife a ey co eaily eenac if ey coe o mio McMaanown commece wi e pa. Pacicaly emonaing e pea-e an avanage of eaing an bying book Bowningpoey fncion in i conex a an aociaive igge an a ignof a ioy o be ncovee by e eicae cioiy of e wo-be ieay oi on vacaion wee liealy o imaginaivelyMcMaan ae e eae a ey oo col ene ino acla excange of wo an ie a a wol povie a ill poinin e mi of e cao an cange of ei eveyay ive.

Te inee in iolaing an eeqencing aenic inigino pa ime a ape McMaan vome a ao infomee gowing inee in Vicoian poogapy ove e la eeecae a Rapae l Samel an moe ecenly ennife GeenLewiave obeve.7 Coeponingly ee a been an inee in

An a eneson McMahan d lee i the Pet the B wig Beig e/eti f the Pem f Rbet d Elizbeth Brrett Brwig whih he t dith the it the ee d th At f lee th over f page sratons from photographs Chcago A C McCrg 190, 0

Rphae Sae hetre f Mem oon Verso, 99 ; Jenferee-es At Hoe the Nneteeth Cetr Photograp Nostaga, adth to Athetc iti Afterlife. Ptmde Cultue Rewrite theNieteeth Cetu Mneapos Uverst of Mnesota ress 000 9 8 .

Q T,D u v d [ du

" m m (q m/ :k 1 1 >

Intoduction 5

Th n! l t ok p i

Bacco Bandne, Od Book Sal a he Base of h Saue oGovann de' Medc


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6 Intoducton

accountng not only or the mpact o photography on Vctoranmemory practces but also n tracng the often negatve ologcalmpcatons o the photographc reproducton o standarded versons o dferent cultures and hstor es 8 Yet as GreenLews astuteynotes the ntrnsc nostalga that drves our own appette or nsghtsnto a culture that photography has made so amlar and avalabe tous demands a orm o cultural anayss that moves beyond conven

tona academc treatments that dsmss nostaga tsel as a regressveand poltcaly suspect combnaton o poor hstory and narcssstcmagnngs.9 In contrast as Susan Stewarts provocatve work onlongng has demonstrated nostaga s a consttutve part o the pro-cess o eadng vewng and magnng our own reaton to both thepast a' the present 10 nd ths retrospectve sense o ourseves s asntmately ted to photography or us as t was or Vctorans Ratherthan clamng authory nostaga works varousy an d dynamcayto uncover evoke and amare the past In ts postKantan sensenostalga gave a name to the perennal ongng and regret or ostyouth that was ready assmated nto nneteenthcenury conceptons

o pesonaly as a retrospectve recovery o emotons.1 Nostalgaaso took on mutpe orms n Vctoran terary culture rom thecommercaed ktsch o the terary souvenr to a recursve storytelng mode that ether ressted or resolved nto myth and clch.

It s the atter sn as Isobe rmstrong has argued n her extensvestudy o Vctoran poetry and potcs that modernst and contemporary crtcs have accused Vctoran poets o commng themaor crtca and theoretcal movements o the twenteth centuryhave been vrtuay slent about Vctran poetry. s the strandedremnants o hgh bourgeos beralsm the poets have been

On man cn xamps a cad ian appac papic

ms scia svi anc is Sn Lavani Photogaphy Visio and the Podctionof Mode Bodies (Nw k Sa n vsi Nw k Pss 19 99 Gn-Lwis A Hm in Ninn Cn 44-

Ssan Swa On onging: aative of the Miniatue the Gigantic theSouveni the Colletio (am NC k nvsi ss, 199 3)

Riad Snn The Fall of Public Man (Lndn ab ab 19 ) 15 2an Sabinski s smi na na nsaia ns impac Kans s sns nsaia as a paica m msicknss m pscica cncpin ind n Anthopologie in pagmatishe insiht 179) Kan ad a a an isin a nin pac and m wi wic nsaic sbjc was inviab disappind nsaia cnizd sad aia n cd nv n back cck a nd cv s an Sabnski da Nsaia iogenes (19) 1103

Intdcto 7

consgned to sepa. he nostagc preoccupatons o a poet suchas Tennyson and the photographers he nspred or example havecome to eptome the anachron stc excesses o Vctoran poetry andartphotography.3 nd yet paradoxcally t was n the process oconsgnng themselves to sepa that Vctoran poets photographe rsand pub shers a lke came to terms wth ther own modernty In thecontext o ths debate rmstrong's use o a photographc analogy

to descrbe the seectve memory o twentethcentury crtcs stelng. Echong both Vctoran and contemporary assocatons ophotography wth the more pathoogca aspects o nostagatheentropy o orgettng or the appropratve sequencng o a musealsensbltyrmstrongs anaogy demonstrates photographyscontnung symboc orce as a crtca devce that umnates theproound connectons between nostalga and terary dscourse.

Contrary to the contemporary crtca prorty gven to lteraryrealsm as a regster o the radca transormaton o mmetc conventons n the nneteenth century Vctoran poetry and poetcswere preoccuped wth extendng the tempora mts o anguag e na culture where keepng tme had begun to assume ts modern regmental contours. Haunted by what they perceved as moderntysseducton by the ephemeral Vctoran poets ooked or sgns o theeterna amdst the transent orms o hstorca tme and t s herethat the parael between Vctoran poetry and the prmtve practceand concepton o photography begns to emerge. Early at tempts todescrbe the experence o lookng at a photograph or the machneryo photography shared ths ongng to take a moment out o tme.bstracted rom the materal condtons o ts producton the photo-graphc mage ap peared to manest the mmetc deal o the arrestedmoment rendered transparent by the observers gae; a temporaconcept to whch Vctoran poets such as ennyson Barrett Brown

ng Brownng and Dante Gabre Rossett were struggng to gve

Isb Amsn Victoian Poety Poet Poetis ad Politics (LdRd 1993 ) Amsns pin in is: S ma cica an d imvmns wn cn av bn va sin b icn As sandd mnans i b is ibaism s av b nsid spa

1 S W and s ciica assssmn Camn and mi n ictoiPhotogaphs o f Famous Men and Fai Women by ]ulia agaet Caeo itntoductions by Viginia Wool( and Roge Fy (Lndn a ss 9 )

4 m msa snsbi is sd b Andas ssn n nmn m in a Psmdn A Yale oal ofCitiism (993) 23.


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8 Introduction

lngustc form Intensfyng ths any, many early photographers,particularly those who circulated n a smlar cultura niieu toTennyson or PreRaphaeltes such as Dante Gabrie Rossett andJohn Everett Milais, drew upon an iconographic repertoire thatrecaed the egendary faces, narratves, and vycovered runs thatled the andscape of the poetry and pantngs of both their peersand Romantc precursors.

Extendng beyond these artstc crcles, commercial photogra phersfound a market for ther mages of medieva runs, the Lake Ds-trict, or the wlds of Scotland and Wales amongst entrepreneuriaphotographic publshers. A predomnantly Englsh phenomenon,the photographcay ilustrated anthoogies of verse that beganto apar n the I86os returned the images of this rst generatono photographers to their iterary and cutura sources in a formatthat ike McMahan's photographic treatment of te Brownings,encouraged the consumer not ony to read, but to reenactWordsworth's refective wanderings through the Lake District or

Scott' myth ic encounters with the ancient nhabtants of the ScottshBorder.

Moving behind the ens, in eary revews, essays, and manuasdevoted to photography as both an art and a growing ndustry,poets such as Tennyson and Wordsworth were hed up as aesthetcmodels. Likewise, n photographcaly ilustrated books and laterphotographc magc lantern shows the consumer was nvited to moveback and forth between the iterary past and the mmedate present oftheir own aesthetc experience; a n overtly tmeconscous hermeneu-tcs facltated by a synthess of photgraph and text or, n the la tter'scase, projected image and scrpted ora performance. Rather thanbeng the antithess of a po etc sensbty that saw tself n perpetuafight from modernty therefore, these expermenta illustratveventures assimi ated the idea of photography nto the more consolngform of exsting aesthetc paradgms. The anxietes nspired by one ofmodernty's onc inventions were thus tempered by the famiariz-ng dynamics of discursive analogy and iterary se quencing

Ths rhetorca domestiaton of the novely of photography sexempled by the foowng review of the fth exhibiton of theondon Photographc Society, pubished in the Athenaeum n I8 58.Here the critc rea ds wo photographs as f they were po ems, drawngupon what would have been famar poetc assocatons to the pre-dominantly urban cognoscent who attened such events:

Itodcto 9

To lump together some scraps of nature in a faint hope to preserve someorganc unity in a more than usually heterogeneous Exhibition, we maymention wth admration Messrs Ross Thomsn's somewhat murky andtragic Brambls, Wil d Hops nd Fes (oo) and their Nettles Foxglovean Dock-leaves (263). It is ike reading Keats and Tennyson to ook at thesoft white velvet har of the poisono us vened nettle-eaves green and rank

hudding up n a dark guity mass to hde where the murdered chd wasbured while the bee sngs round the white dadems of ther beguiing fowersas f nothing was wrong and earth was still a Paradse. How the wild hops,vnelke cing and twinehow the hooked brambe, with its square redstak trais and spreads ts

Not content to marve at the uncanny versmtude of two smpytitled studes of characteristcaly Englsh pant ife, the revewertransforms them into styized PreRaphaelite landscapes1 Post-apsaran resonances gve a snster edge to the descrpton of thedark guilty mass' of psonous and cnging vegetaton that en-tanges references to Tennyson and Keat s Thoughts of dscoverng a

corpse i n the ush undergrowth of these fragments of an Engish gar-den suggests that nature s no onger the nesting green for poetsmade' ceebrated in poems such as Keats' I Stood Tp-Toe o a LttleHi, from whch this revewer fts the sensuous images of sweetbuds crowned by starry dadems of dew, buzzng bees, and thenoseess nose among the eaves . Ths is a andscape more sutedto the Gothic melodrama of Tennyson's , with its acabreopenng memory of a body ong snce found n a g hastly pt' drppngwth the sle nt horror of boo d' .8 Thus, a s was so often the case nearly photog raphic reviews, the photographc mage was turned ntosomething other than itsef by the anaogc sensblity of the crticMore concerned wth tracng the various symboc resonances that

blurred the lne between the natural and the cultural, the symboicand the real, ths reviewer transformed a relatively unambitiousexhbition of the work of the London Photographc Socetys e-bership nto a catalyst for dreams, iterary analoges and metaphors

u Phoographic Society' Atheneu (29 May 8 8) 692.6 M. h 1

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c ae Bartram The PeRaphaelte Camea: Aspecs of Voian Ph- grphy London: Weideneld & Nicolson 1 98 5

17 John Keats, Poems London Eveymans irary 1974 3 -8 .8 Al references to Tenysons poems othe thn when specied wll be odg

to Christopher Ricks ed.) The Poems of Tennyon, 3 vols. (Hlow: Log1987) .


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O Intdcton

a counered e rreducble conngency of poograpy w eeernal ng reorc of a ared poec reperore.

Ta loong a a poograp ould npre oug of dea andmurder recall Bare obervaon a e acendancy of mage wc produce Dea wle ryng o preerve lfe corre-ponded w e decln e of relgou re of memoralaon and econan polcal urmol of revoluon, coneaon, aanaon, explo on, n or, of mpaence, of everyng wc denerpenng 9 Dea, Bar e ugge, mu be omewere n a oceyand f no longer comforably enrned n relgou pracceand radon wll nevably nd a ecula r manfeaon. Bu a eabove revew ugge, Vcoran dd no mply relnqu e oldof acred n e face of e new, nor dd ey unambguouly cor-rela e poograpy w e re of a draced ecular modern en -bly. e reader of Tennyon In Memorm knew only oowell, e anxee nduced by e peaker von of age drown-ng n a ea of blood pln e nere of polcal and nduralrevoluon were appeaed by refual of e nevably of evolu-

onary paradgm and e ulmae reoluon, no maer ow enu-ou, o f cr of fa. Wa revew reveal erefore uow amenable poograpy wa o beng amlaed no Vcoranculural na rrave a were equally concerned w forgng paernof knp, relaon, and connuy, a ey were w recordng enevable declne and ruggle of oe woe me ad run ou.

Barre Brownng repone o e daguerreoype exemple,oug of dea were alo nepa rable from oug of mmoralng a momen n me forever on a meal plae. Tere wa ome-ng range, ye famlar, abou ee new mage a npredanaloge w memerm and oer necromanc maeralaonof e pr. Ta ey o ofen coned of aunng lkenee of

famlar face and cene furer eaed er ranon no a well-eabl ed reorc of memoralaon Barre Brownng may aveuccumbed o e magca l lure of e poograpc mage lke a wll-ng ubec urrenderng o e power of a memer' gae, bu edd o n e nere of ckenng e connecve u e of memoryer only armour agan wa e aw a moderny culure offorgeng e wroe o Mford, e began o mourn anew for

Rolad ah, Camea uida Reections on Photogphy N ok Hl ag 998, 92

ntodcton

oe wo ad lved and ded before e nvenon of poograpy alo a nduced a longng o ave uc a memoral of every Bengdear o me n e world . T coce of word reveal ow precaroue fel er own relaon wa o e world e n abe d Never fullyurrenderng o e educon of e new, Barre Browng conually found erelf lookng back n an effor o underand edramac culural, ecnologcal, and polcal ranformaon awere akng place aroun d er. T orcal cl naon wa negralo er underandng of er poec vocaon, bu wa alo a enbly e ared w many of er conemporare. n a varey ofconex rangng from e emergng dcplne of pycology andocology o e eemngly dvere eld of geology, anropologyplology, and pyology e dere o race e developmen ofpreen form back roug me ncreangly aped e conourof nellecual enqury. Horcm, a Mace Mandelbau aargued, pervaded Vcoran culural lfe recang e peomealworld n erm o e bel ef a an adequae underadng of enaure of any penomenon ad an adequae aemen of value

were only o be ganed roug conderng n erm of e placewc occuped and e role wc played w a proce ofdevelopmen.0 One manfeaon of epemologcal f abeen decr bed by oucaul a a move away from egeencenuryparadgm of clafyng e order of naure oward e udy ofprocee of evoluonar y ranformaon and e earc for genealo-gcal explanaon of e preen wa o longer enoug olook and record e ca racerc of a face, an arefac, or a peceTo ee and o wre ncreangly mean o decode and decpe r ecreore encryped u benea e urface of e vble.

Much has been written about photography's place in this historyof nineteenthcentury interrogations of the limits of memory ad per-

ception. Often the announcement of photography's invetion i I 8 3 9is described in terms of an epistemic ruptre. The year I 839 marksthe date when the inventory started', to quote Susan Sontag, sincethen just about everything has been photographed by an insati-able photographing eye' that has left us with the grandiose delusion'that we can hold the whole world in our headsas a athology of

Maie Madebam, ito Man d Raon A Sdy of NnnCentuy Thought al mo ohs Hopk Uvety Pe 97 42

1 Mhel oat, The Ode of Thng: An A chaology fh H cnodo Roldg, 9 89


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14 Intctn

Inlecing, i only implicily, he various hisorical argumens ohese and oher recen sudies o Vicorian visual culue has beenonahan Crarys inuenial analysis o he ransormaion onineeenhcenury models o vision in Techniqes othe Obseve31While Crarys hisorical assumpions may have been he subjeco inense and oen polarized debae over he las decade, his workremains a crucial reerence poin in sudi es o Vicorian visual culureor precisely ha reasn, and his book is no excepion o ha rule32Wheher one agrees wih Crary or no, one o he srenghs o hiswork is is analysis o he ways in which opical insrumens, suchas he sereoscope or phoography, provide a crucial poin o accessino nineeenhcenury guraions o he visible As he righlyobsves, hese opical devices and he discourse hey generaedsurvive as he maerializaion o a shared reperoire o visual echniues ha slowly, ye undamenaly, recongured he ways inwhich Vicorians in general ineraced wih he world around hemMore coneniously, however, Crary argues ha a new kind oobserver ook shape in he nineeenh cenury as a resul o pro

ound episemic shis in he discourses o psychology, physiology,and opical echnolog He suggess ha his momen in he hisoryo he philosophy o percepion is he momen when he visibleescapes rom he imeless order o he camera obscura only obecome enslaved by anoher visual regime lodged in he unsablephysiology and emporaliy o he human body.3 No longerehered o a reeren, he percepual process isel becomes he ocuso new disciplinary echniues designed o manage and sandardizehe visual experience o he obsever n his conex phoography,ike new echnologies such as he sereoscope, he phenakisoscope,and he kaleidoscope, conribued o a radical absracion andreconsrucion o opical experience.3 Crary suggess hereore,

ha even hough phoography may bear a supercial resemblance ohe realis devices o more radiional visual ars, he vas sysemicrupure o which phoography is a par renders such similariiesinsignican. 35

Jnthan Cra Techique f the Obeve On Mety in theNeteeth Cetuy Cabrdge Mass MIT Press, 199

W. J. T. Mchell pides an exensie criie f Cars k in Pictuehey Ey eb u Repeett Chcag Uniersiy Of Chicagress, 99 9 Crary echque f the Obeve 0

Ibid. 9 3 Ibid. J

tct 5

Bu, as criics such as W. . T. Michell have been uick o poinou, such a broad heoriza ion o nineeenhcenury visual pracicesruns he risk o homogenizing paerns o culural consumpion .Clearly he rapid rise in he circulaion o commercial phoographicimages played is par in he sandardizaion o visual imagery ando visual experience in he nineeenh cenury. Wha is no so clear ishe exen o which new visual echnologies, suc h as he phoographand he sereoscope, were deployed coercivey o homogenizeand discipline he visual eld o he modern observer. Crary himselcharacerizes he emporaliy o modern percepual models asinrinsically unsable, and i is in he individual, conexual, andphysiological variaions ha his commen implies ha he spaceor alernaive inersecions between memory, represenaion andvision emerge. For while he exensive archives o Vicorian psycharic, police, and ehographic phoographs undoubedly demonsrae how uickly phoography was assimilaed ino he varioussurveillance apparauses o he medical, scienic, and legal esablishmens, he sheer prolieraion o phoographic images in he rs

ory years aer is invenion suggess ha here are muliple andenangled hisories o experimenaion, adapaion, and mediaionye o be unravel led. A rac e o hese alernaive hisories o recepionand adapaion remains in he orm o he Vicorian phoographically illusraed book, and anoher survives in persona documenssuch as Barre Brownings leer, boh o which capure he irreducible pariculariy o Vicorian concepions o phoographicime and he variey o percepual experiences ha new visual echnologies made avaiable o nineeenhcenury observers. In bohhse culural orms he relaionship between observer and imageis by no means consan or analogous. When a Vicorian consumerpurchased phoographically illusraed volume o Wordsworhs

poery, his or her experience o phoography was mediaed hroughpoems ha, o use Raphael Samuels words were selconsciouslybuil on imes ruins 3 n his conex he readers response o heimage was undoubedly guided by he conex in which he book wasread, given ha volumes such as hese were variously mareed asgi books , ravel guides, and ser ious ierary anhologies n conras,Barre Brownings leer o Miord regisers a very deren

3 Michel, Pctue They 9. e ete of MmOZ)', p


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16 Inroducon

esponse o poog apy eecng e novey of e dagueeoypeand e poogapc poa moe genealy n e eay oswle oesadowng e own enusasc pacpaon n e pacce and e susequen epoducon of e favoue poogapcpoas n posumously pul sed collecons of e woks n o

Engand and AmecaToo oen e soy of poogapy and e aesec and logsca demands of e museum eon space ave eacednneeencenuy poogaps om e sees o e ook weeey ognay appeaed; a eual cone wc as CaoAmsong as ecenly oseved conued susanally o econcepon of e oade cuua sgncance o poogapy ns ou decades afe s nvenon38 Lkewse ee as eenan asacon of e emegence o an nceasngly meconscouspoecs fom e vsual culue om wc dew s mages anddeas and of e gue o e Vcoan poe fom a soy o poogapc selfpesenaon a oged new paens of consumpon

and memoazaon. One ama nsance of e lae s ecounless poas o Vcoan poes a suvve esyng o enneeencenuy ascnaon w e face as e anspaenounday eween puc and pvae seves pesence and a senceInomed y e wdely dssemnaed pncpes of Pysognomy andlae Penoogy mos Vcoans usced o a geae o essedegee o e elef a e conous o e ace evealed a secesoy a no amoun o sopsy could mask. Te nvenon ofpoogapy only amped a nd mysed e meapyscs o f pesence a undepnned s equaon o sg w nsg Lookngou fom e fonspeces o ealy poogapcaly lusaed

ooks o om e mllons of poscadsze poas a consumescoud ass eme no e own poa ooks e faces o TennysonBae Bownng Roe Bownng and many oes njeced acommemoave noe no e eadng epeence Vsualy ncanang e sp of e se ey auned ese volumes w deams ofmmoaly deams a emana ed as muc fom e wes deseo e ememeed as om e consumes dese o possess eulmae memoa o a gea poec mnd. Aloug poas adlong gaced e onspeces o eay woks poogaps offeed

" Cal Amg enes i a ibay: Reading he Phoogaph i he Book43-75 Camdge, Ma Mre 1998} .

Inroducon 7

an unpecedened sense of nmacy and conac w e auoan efec a was amped y e eade now eng ale o saen e epeence o eng poogaped Owng o e apd commecazaon of poogapc poaue akng up ones placen soy was no longe conned o e amous o e poweul as

Lews Caol l's sa e o Vcoan poa poogapy Hwh'Phoogrphng, somewa wsuly acknowledged. 39 Bu wle swdespead culu a penomenon may ave een a sou ce of aneyand dsapponmen fo Caol wo esponded y akng up econvenonal poson of e alenaed as sugglng fo auonomy amds e un dscmnang deses o e cowd suggess asaed peoccupaon w possessng a pemanen ecod of one'sesencea sgn o connuty se agans a ackdop o pecevedansence and pepeual evoluon

Te ollowng capes om a sees of case sudes a ake vaous eamples o poogapc lusaon of e wok o nneeencenuy poes as e suec Begnnng w an analyss o ealy

poogapc eveng culues and e s poogapcallyusaed vese ano loges o e pul sed n England eac capeen aces e pemuaons o leay and cuua nosalga ae wok o poes suc as Wodswo Sco Bae BownngTennyson and lesseknown poes suc as Augusa Wese andAgnes May Fances Ronson nsped n Vcoan poogapespulses and ccs alke Wa unes ese vey dfeen casesudes s e acue sense o elaedness a auns Vcoan leayculue and poey n pacula. Poey as an dea eeges omese vaous llusaed es as an deal o adon a eposoy oculual memoy a mekeepng devce and as a means o deea

and deceeaon n e mds o e u and caos o moden eemonsang a caacescaly Vcoan nees n e a neseween mage an d wod ese volumes vaousy manes an openness o new oms and genec comnaons a efused e oadsncons and convenons a e modens successos wouldnss upon. Close n sensy o e adapve and nosalgc peoccupaons o posmoden culue Vcoan epeens w epoogapc medaon o leay es oeed new pespecveson fama naaves and new ecnques o ewng e se and

Lei Ca ll Phantasmagoia and Othe Pes : Mclla 9 I


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ts relatn the past and pesen. 0 That these experments me wthmxed success suggests jus hw prvsna and explraty heywere Ye the uaed natu e he success by n means dmnshesther hscal sgncance as evdence the ascnatn wh newways expng and exendng he bundares magnatve expeence hat phgraphy nspred. F thse wh st encuneed aphgaph dagueretype, the tme and space represenanappeared t tansrm bere ther eyes And even the culturalmpcatns ths ansrmatn wee n always cnsng, nrthe ecnmc benes expementng wth ts lustratve penanvaaby emuneratve, the hsy eadng and spectatrshpthat emeges ut hese early terary amngs phgaphypres an nsght nt the nceasngy sphscated eatnshpbetween mage and tex ha deveped n the lat te hal he nneteenh century, and n the century hat lwed T x a mmen, aamus ace r avue teay scene, t arres tme, n eect, n theace he eentless pace hstry, wuld becme an ncreasnglyseductve prspec n an ea when advances n transp and cm

muncan wee pressng aganst the lmts wha he mnd c udae n at a glance

0 arbara Mara tafords recen observatons on the analogc strctre ofthe nternet and ypemeda, for example, emphase the seemngly nnt e creavecombnatons prodced by new technologcal congratons Vul Anlogy Concoune nd the At of Connectng ambrdge, Mass: MT Press 99 9

C HAPT E R T WO

Nostalgia and Poetic dylls

in Early VictorianPhotographic Discourse

There is a poetry of photography as there is of painting andieatue.

Peter Heny Emerson

is we fo the onward traveer occasionay to pause andreview the ground over whch he has traversed to stop and

reect-

And gaze upon the distant vae eow

to ook efore and after' and see whither eads the path he isp ur su in g . The aove shoud e the attitude to photogaphyt is ong since crossed the pons asnom, and entered the roadchampaign which ies stretched efore it t remains to e seenwhether it wi ever cim the faed mount or penetrate thecharmed cice so eaousy guarded and e wecomed as aneua, instead of eing cody received as a parveu or intruder

tephen Thopson2

Ealy nneteenthcentuy phgraphc reviewng pacices weedvese and numerus. Reectng the speed wh which htgahy

1 ted n cen Goldsmth an d Weson]. Nef e rtfl : othPho togpcll llutted Boo 9 New o: Th ole l, 9o9· Ths deal of photography s epanded pon n eter enr meon tetseNtult Photogp for tudet ofte ondo Ny NealPee ey Eeon e Fght fo Potogph e t New or pertre975

tephen Thompson he omme sps o oogy th joulof Photogph (r November 07 0


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26 Early Victorian Photographic Discourse

vari abil ity of expression that gestures towards a more profound shiftin concepts of the sef and facial expres sion that goes beyond prosa icadvice and conventiona physiognomic sylogisms, suggesting something more akin to what Richard Sennett describes as secular imma-nence 4 Sennett denes tis concept as a belief in immanent meaningin the wold, which he argues shaped nineteenthcentury notionsof personality, and that we also nd in the expressive theory of

Duchenne de Bologne nd Darwins inluential photographic studiesof the human face in motion5 Sennett contends that as the godsled, immediacy of sensation and perception grew more important;penomena came to seem real in and of themselves as immediateexperience Peope in turn were disposed to make more and more ofdiff�ences in the immediate impressions they made upon e ach other,to see these differences, indeed, as the very basis of socia existence'16The lack of control any one individual cou ld have over the varietyof emotions that the everchanging circumstances of interpersonalcommunication and life conditions produced therefore meant thatthe individua 's capacity to recollect and master the past took o n a

new urgency Accordingly, Sennett argues that longing and nosta giaacquire a distinctively nineteenthcentury psychologica sense, whatJean Starobinski would call a postKantian undrstanding of the selfas i perpetual mournig for a lost youth that is necessarily and constitutivey out of reach The resuting sense of personality in Sennett'saccount is thus increasingly tethered to a mythic sense of the local, theparticular, to family ad childhood memories of hearth and homethat, theoretically, gave meaning and depth to te insubstantialityand transi ence of present experience.

Yet, while Thompsons interest in perceived differences and therecolective powers ofthe camera accords with Sennetts theorizationof the increasingy nostalgic articulation of nineteenthcentury con

cepts of personality his enthusiasm for photograpys potentialto produce new forms of sociability and ultural memory presents afar more optimistic vision tan that which underies Sennett's ultim-atey decinist conclusions about the diminished uaity of pubic and

l· nne Th all ofPublc an, I 3.J< A tnson of Denne's lesser-known ye deey inuenta study hs

enty ben pblshed se G B. chenne de ologne he Mechanism of Humanal Exprssn ed and trans R Andrew Ctberson · (Cmbrdge: CambrdgeUnvrsty Press 1990) 16 Sennett, The Fall f bli an 15 1-2.

Earl ctoria Potograpic Discorse 27

private ife i he second half of t e ineteenth centuy Take, forexample, Thompson's celebratory genealogy of te potograpicportrait Athough it might seem provocative to cite this deliberatelyight journalistic account alongside Sennetts rigorous sociologicalanaysis, the point here is to demonstrate the need to take seriousthe elements of pa y and pleasure, as well a s anxiety and melancholia,that characterized Victorian reections on the soci and psycolo-

gical impact of powerful new technologies such as photograpy.This spirit of fun and excitement by no means cances out fearsfor the present or future what it does is to illuminate the creativeinuence photography had on those who chose to tel storiesand make sense of the world for the everexpanding readersip ofamateur ournals, popular science, and, of course, photographicallyilustrated books:

It is curi ous to relect how little in past ages ma nkind knew o their contemporaries. The form and eatures of many o those who moved the worldwere so uttery unknown to those who lived in the same period as they areto us. The men of mark o our own age are as amiliar to us as household

words. [Yet] we have reay no idea of what our race was ike before thetimes of the Reormation What we see could not possibly be enessesbecause they simply are not humani ty. Not unti Ho lbein's time did we begito see what men and women were What our early Henrys nd Edwardswere like-we cannot know they are buried in the nght o art like the bravewho lived beore the time of Agamemnon

We sometimes hear peope question whether potraits by photogrphywil continue to be as popular as they are We might as reasonably aswhether railways wil continue to be popula and whethe we shall ot goback to the slow coaching days. So long as the affections and passios last tmus t be popua r: so long as people marr y and ae given in marriage-as longas friendship love, herosm, genius, and goodness are attri bues o hanity-so ong wil there be a demand for the ruits of photography

What further distinguishes Tompson's chronology is its ipiciassimilation ofTennyson's portraiture into a history of potograportraiture, whie simutaneousy providing a cultura ratioale forthe gradua appearance of photographic portrats i atoois overse and ed itions of the work of poets sc s Tennyson and BrretBrowning Appied to these publisig forats opsos otoof the photographic portraits extraordinary revelatory powers reinforces Romanti c ideals of unmediated visio, wilst transormi theact of reading itsef into a process of cultual coevation


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Ely Vcn Phgphc Dsc·se

poducton and ad th utopan pobt of mantagwhat Wat Bnjamn would dcb a aua Th mpha thnconvnnt tanatd nto an unabahd manpuaton of thconvnton of ca muaon n h ubqunt dcuon of commca potatu gvng xpon to a chamatc doogthat had mlal fulld th mng natab Vctoan appttfo ces e vse potat of xmpa authot gu.2 Wthth advnt of accbl commca photogaphc tudo, th avag conum coud pa a fw hng to pfom n font of thcama, an unpcdntd accblt to potatu whch, n tunpoducd a nw gtua! pto of po an d thatca bacdopand a ctcal baclah wth whch man of Thompon' adwd hav agd. Apt, gvn th chapt' concn, om chopot to voc th hoo Lw Ca, fo xamp, adaptd thmt of Longflow' popua The Sng f Hh to dfatth ndut' wot xc. Tunng Longfow ntmntandgnou ho nto an lfatd photogaph wth attc apa-ton Cal' paod alo wttl xpod th poodc and thca

lmtaton of th ognal whch ha d cnt cvd an qualmcl handlng b Pnch:24

A te miy in orderSt beore im or teir itresE in trn s e ws tkenVolnteered is own sestionsHs inenos sestons.

First te Governor te Fter:He sested vevet rtnsLooed bot mssy ilr;

erre orde The rodco of elief orbo o a Ecoomy of

Symbolc Goods' e ield o ra Prodcio Ea on Ar ad ierare ed.Rd ohso New Yor olmb versy ress 99 } 46

rrol Paaaoria ad Oer Poe 66 The sa re Pc reprodced below hs eresg resoaces wh arrlls

e The complee verso s reprodced Fra E gge Vicorian Elad ASee by Pc odo Sdgc adacso 9 hod yo s me Whass re? I As me Wha's he d o pom? I I shod aswer shold el yo 'Ts poem hs mere I Ad embalmg he rados I Fables res ad spers os egeds charms ad ceremoals I Of he varos rbes ofdas I From helad o he Ojbways From he lad of he Dacoahs I From he moas moors d felds I Whee he hero he Shh-shh-gar I Fds s sgar he rshes: I From he fasdecyg os I Whch or gele UNCLE SAMEL I Is mprovg

very smrly From he face o al creo O he face of al creao

I

El Vcn Phgpc Dscse

II

Ath r B. Fros grang rom Lws Carrls Hiwths hooghg'


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'

3 2 Ey Vc0n Phoogphc Dcoue

And te orner o tbeO rosewood dnn tbeHe wod od sro o sometnHod t rmy n s etnd;He wod kee s rtnd bred(ke Noeon) n s wstot;

He wod ontemte te dstneWt ook o ense mennAs o dks tt de n temests

Grnd ero ws te noton:Yet te tre ed entreyFed bese e moed tteMoed bese e odn't e t

The poem aes he eade hough he failue of eah family poai,befoe he oppessed phoogaphe naly aeps his fae, aes agoup poai, a favoued fom of Cals when phoogaphingadus, and vanishes fom he sene, ahough no wihou a nal yof deane

Bt my Hwts teneHs oteness nd s teneUnontby d nsedAnd e et tt y rtyeter dd e ee tem sowWt te m debertonTe ntense de bertonO otor rtst:Bt e et tem n rryLet tem n mty rrySttn tt e wod not stnd tSttn n emt ne

Wt e'd be beore e'd stnd tHrredy e ked s boesHrredy te orter trndedOn brrow s boxesHrredy e took s tkeHrredy te trn reeed m:Ts derted Hwt

ongfeows inging mee fuhe inensies Caos babedwods. Unabashedly eliis, his poem baey veis Cals ownpaingup of his signaue osewood amea in poes againshe ommeiaizaion of he a e had paised sine boyhood as

/

L - /

_ -

1I

Ey Vcon Phoogphc Dcoue 3 3

\

\'

.

· - � -

t B Frost er ro Lws arro s awha's hoographg'


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. I

3 8 E Vcto Photogphc Dscouse

rocous specmes, ye eded y eve sll lower vrety o umspeces-e oer or doorsm Rusm d lcksm my erebe oud s mos repulsve pse I s ples o r rom s dsmlspeccle o oer clss-e relr proessol poorpers oporrure d ldscpe rwo ve o more afnity w eer o eoers e rel medcl prcoer s w qucks d c rls my be sid ey mber i eir rks me o e es mes,

overed by reed prcples o oor d ieriy s o em do dsused mers we owe e ps proress d prese posoo poorpy i s cory Ec d ll o em c ell o yers o werylbour d perseverce mds mory lres, we e poorpcwy ws o so well mcdmzed s ow s I em ve e ewldered spr d e dy dilettantever od willi des d eseces ey ve redered o sciece, r, edco, d cvlzo relmos clclle6

T pac Thompon dvo o viifying h chaaanim andblacguadim of and faigound phoogap bay vlh una a i aggivly mainaind ca ym gRfcng h pofaon of phoogaphc pacic Thompon

ay dmona ful pcum of phoog aphy conadcoydicuiv aicuaion, a boh a ign of pog and dcln,dhumanzng mchanzaion and cvzaon, unbdld commcand aic ingiy, poducibiiy and omanc oignay. AMay Wan Main obv, by h 85 and 86 phoogapy concuny ymbolzd pogiv and giv chang a pon whn chang7

, in mid of h dcuiv chao poy povdd a modof mpoal uccon and duaon a ad h dabiizngffc of h apd an on ha Thompon a y cha Tunngaway fom h lh and vulgaiy of h ciy, poic fnc andfamwo anachonizd h dynamic of poogaphc affc,povding a adymad myhologing famwo o ofn hfocu of chang and a pacca dmonaion of phoogaphycivizng ffc. Th h balanc a ay phoogaphcalyluad boo ha oo poy and po a hi ubjc do manan an apiaion, which Thompon, who wa an ayadvoca of h cvilizng ponal of poogaphicay luad

< hpsn he Cecal Aspects htgaphy, 0 he ephases inths pssage ae hpsns wn

Wne Men Poap a Is rs

E Vcto Photogphc Dscouse 9

boo, woud pomo nhuaicaly. Wam amu WgThe Love Huts o Cowpe; the Photogphc Reebce

o Oe Westo B eg Photogphs o Bugs R uScees Immotze b the Poet; wth Hstoc DescpteSketches i ypca of hi gn of poogaphc lluaonublhd in 867 , Wig noducd volum wi h followingpomoiona wod:

Ts work s e rs o e kd s ppered; ere ve bee pesid eres works w my ples wc re ow o o pr buever ook o oorps d s well kow e iless o poorpc pcre s eqlled ope e prese work ereore wi every wy be o ud o swer o e le ve o i, or y ri ov er spes, we we my be r wy rom e rely, we bri o remembrcell e vried scees roud wic suc crm s bee row d co e loved u rer d , kow we re eoypoorpc iless d we we vew em s i mrror or cyc esly pcure e poe rov mids er quie beuy, or eei oeo ose buld s so oe requeed or is ske Ts o view em musbe eceedly ples o ose dmrers lso, wo re ever lkey o vs

s poeic od Tme s removed my o e scees, bu s re dueo e Ariss o e ps or di dow o s ood drwis o em Tey re ec, s re lso e porrs roduced ee

ng ·aid h auho own claim o fam and i omiion ofany fnc o pcuo uc a Wliam Moi Gundy mohumb Sushe the Cout (86), i pfac ncouaga phoogaphcaly nhancd inimacy bwn ad and po.hoogap vn obva h nd o ouc and wand on poic gound mad acd by moy of Cowp poicnmn In hi conx ac imag i inndd o maaland guid h cuing cycl of pa adng o viing a

aignd h ad a cna ol in h uvival of Cowp vonwh a h am im pomong a dply anachonc mag of

8 hpsns pste eceptn Wla nd M wtt's Wdswthnstyle R Abbs a ass of ra Bra wll be dsssed the lwngchapte

Lo Has of opr; oorap Rrr f O aWso B Poops of Bs a R Ss Ioraz o Hsora a Dsrp Ss pled ad pblshed b Wl SWgh, 8 ) hs le ctned eghteen phtgphs e whch s hepe ptat Cwpe ten ews ad seen epdtns vs t ts ndpints


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!

2 E Von hoogph Dsos

-

:

· illi u \i, ow's u os

nd b h onding Jan Talo incipton mmoialzh onal connction to Cowp ovd man a connctonthat Wght fth dgn b podcing it alongid Cowpown and lltatng both wth a co p photogaph of th t

t dit Wght dmocatzing ntntion, a ingitic itmnd hi fon of pot and photogaph to cat what JohnGillo ha dcbd a a cptioncnaio chaactd b thad plad cogntion that thi m tth which fth_nfoc th bminal cognton that th m angagThi poc of lingitic amilaton infocd b th nhntlctationa tl of Wght volm and iltatd v anthoog,

oh Guiloy ltual apital The Poblem of Litera 0 FomationChigo Uisity of Chicgo Pss, 3 ), 2

El Von hoogph sos

ch a Wlam Mo Gnd Snshn n h on whichwill b th citica foc of th maind of thi chapt Ca-fl oganzd aond th ida of th llminatng fagmnt thvom contctd a qnc of momnt of idntcaton nwhch th conto of f and commnit w mad viib toth ad/obv in a fom that mplcit pomotd th vilzngpotntial of th maag of tadti ona at with th modn wond

of photogaphic mdaton

P H O T O G R A P H C A N D T E R A R Y G E

ccoding to Hlm t Gnhm Gnd volm i th t hotogahicall ltatd v anthoog v to b pblhd Thnmb n th dtion nnown, bt th maot of hotogahial iltatd boo d at th tim w n mtd dton ofno mo than th hndd copi On of th xcpton to thi wa, howv, th Howtt Th Rn s n sls

of G Bn whch i th bct of th nxt chat Th wa id n xcptonall lag dton o t ov on

hndd and xt thoand cop p volm n contat Gndvom wth t laboat d and git moocco binding wa anlgant lta fth clal dgnd fo th gift boo mat. dpit t lgant pacag ing th advtiing and tit of Snshn nh on til cald th mo hmb totic povnanc oft twnt albmn togaph Gnd mag ad oignallappad a a i of topai nd th titl l nln anitt nown abot th ol Gnd lad in th ppaation o

Hl Gshi, caula of Bitih otoa tea Bbph of Bitih P otopi itetue oo l ss 8).4 h ct ub i th itio of h st so ols i h sis s

1 2,000 21 ,000 ccoig to Gsi iio so oos plish i wo iti os Th o psi so oi o o lg opits th its chp fo Publishs so po stio opis o utho which icu t pits Gshi, cz 8. s hsl two i itios o Guys ol Th l l hoooth Nw Yo Public iby cots fotispic pig os ig glThis fotispic is bst fo th olu hl i h si Collio t tHy Rso Rsh Ct Uisity oTs si

Fo pl, th iscipio is th ov o h ol i t Gshicolctio s Elb th As s bithy ps c I r, r 8


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�

44 Ear Voran hoograph Dsourse

unshne n he ounr. Gundy, who was a weegaded photogaphe om Sutton Coded, died shoty ate the voume waspubished What is known is that unshne n he ounrwas one othe habinges o what Weston Nae has caed the goden age ophotogaphic book iustation which esuted in the convesion tophotogaphy o a numbe o weknown atistiustatos, incudingFancis Fith, John Thomson, Adophe Smith, Thomas Annan, andongoing expeimentations with the medium by pictoiaists, such asPeach Robinson and the ambitious natuaism o P. H Emeson.4

What distinguished unshne n he ounr in the eyes o itsVctoian eviewes, as one deighted citic in the Ar-Jouaobseved, was the eective maiage o poem and photogaphTh&oet eads you, by the cham o his meodious utteance, and thephotogaph wins you to oite on you way in contempation o thetuth which the sunshine shows.47 Emphasizing the poet's guidingoe, this citic constucts poetic time as pogessive and sequentia,in contast to photogaphic time, which sows the hythms o poetic

time down to a oiteing pace, giving the eade time to uncove thetuth o what he o she has seen. The appea o Gundys photogaphsto this citic pimaiy esides theeoe, in thei powe to evea whatuks ust beneath the suace o the visibe and the tansation o such

Nef The Thl Les . Accd t Nef d ldmth the umbe fbk llu tted wth p htph p t the tduct f hlf-te pcee the 88 umbeed cle t 4, ttle h ue cluded vume ct lyftpece ptt Fc Fth w e f the t hhly eded lluttt embce phtphy eult h exqute vlume Ep ad PalesePhooaphed ad Desbed ( 8 5 8 ). He l llutted edt f fellwHpeo: A Romae ( 8 5 d the me lhtheted The Gossp hoophea Has (8 4). The_ the teth f the le f h del uxe bu m, teetype

et exhbt p d lluted bble Fth etblhed h phemelly uccefu phtphcpt m ete, Devhe vl the ucce f theFech phtphc pt cmpy BlcqutEvd, th m ppeedutl whe t ly cled t d See Bll y Voa ameama sh's Vews o Rl Elad Newt Ab btt Dv d Chle 3 , d DeeWl as hs Tvels A Phooph Joe hoh Voa Elad(d M Det 85 . Wet Nef decbe the mlly dvetuu detepeeul et f ely phtphe uch Smth d A Thehl Les 3 3 A well-w phtph f the Glwe lum eeml exmple f ely clelt phtphy

'7 evew f Wllm M Gudy she heo A ook o RalPoe Ebellshed wh Pooaph om Nae The AJoal ( Febuy 8 ) 48 . Phtph f ev hweve hd ppeed vlume f pemfm el y 8 55 ed t f Hce d f Vl ( 8 58 ) d J ephTuly Revees o Aeo ( 83 ) thee tce phtphc lluttumed fuct the th ethetc le Nef, The Thl es 3 3

Ear Voran hoogph Dsouse 45

discoveies into genea izabe instances o a shaed aesthetic sensibi iy The mobiity o the eade, in both a symboic and itea sense,is aso assumed, einocin g the voumes appea to those in seach othe timeess peasues o ua Engand as an antidote to the exigencies o moden uban ie.

Gundys voume matched photogaphs o deseted ua viages,haystacks, apiaies, and pictuesque andscapes with an ecectic isto poets incuding John Gay, John Cae, Samue Roges, ChaotteSmith, May Howitt, Feicia Hemans John Keats, Adeaie Pocto, Heny Wadswoth Longeow, Aexande Pope, and TomasGay. Each poem intoduced the eade to an aspect o county ieto emuate, om the whoesome taditions o anging, hunting, andwaking, to the peaceu ie o simpe county ok iving out theidays in time to the hythms o the seasons Photogaps designed tobing the sun shine o the county quite iteay into the home o tecuious eade then echoed this guiding chous o voices Gundysphotogaphs aso subty moduated the emphasis o many o te

poems, tetheing thei moe abstact eections to mateia cutuapactices. In the case o Samue Roges The Bee, a photogaph o anapiais t oes an atenative eadi ng o the poems anthopomophicidentication with the bees mystica powes o sight. Gundy shitsthe ocus o Roges poem away om the poet and onto the apiaist,utimatey tansoming the iustaive sequence into a ceebationo the suviva o achaic ustic taditions and the oe o the potogaphe and poet as thei Gododained consevatos:

Hrk te bee winds er smll but mellow onBlite to slute te sunny smile o moOer tymy downs se bends er busy ouseAnd mny strem llures er to its soureTis noon tis nit Tt eye so nely wroutBeyond te re o sense te sor o toutNow vny sks te senes se let beindts orb so ull its vision so onnedWo uides te tient ilrim to er el?Wo bi ds er sol wit onsious trium swell?Wit onsiou s trut retre te my ueO vried sents, tt rmd er s se ew?Hil memory il ty univers renGurds te lest link o beins lorious n18

" udy ue u 4 .


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46 Early Vctoran Photographic Dscourse

.

• j

5. Wilam oi Gy, 'The Be

Saged as a solen glimpse into he everyday aciviies of he api-

arist, Grundy's image a lso ex emplies the mixture of performance

and ehnographic curiosity hat characterizes many early phoographs

of he English countryside. Yet he ulimate intention is o reinforcethe identication between poe and reader by creating a sense of

immediacy hrough he consruction of a similar scene to tha which

had inspired Rogers o pen his encomium to the bees supernaural

gifs; an illsory moment of recogniion designed o arm he con-

sumers sense of visual conrol over the scene and he rural tradiions

it celebraed.This mixture of visual omniscience and curiosity also shapes

the illusraion of Mary Howitt s Li le Sreams In his sequence

phoographs were embedded into the bdy of he ex to animae

Ealy Vctoa PhotogfJhc Dscorse 47

Howit's idyllic descriptin of a series f small streams ha wedtheir way through a sun-bahed meadow and a onvenionallypicturesque village:

Little steas ae light and shadow,Fowig though the pastue eadow Flowing by th green wayside,hough the forest di and wid,

By the cottage, by the ha,y he ruin'd abbey sil,Tuing hee and thee a i ,Down in vaeys geen and lowy,Muuring not and glidng sowy,Up i outain-holows wid,Fretting like a peevish child;Through the haet, whe a day

6. Wla Moris Gundy, 'Littl Seam


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50 rly Vorn hoogrph Dsorse

ik h viwing culus ha pomod h da o phoogap hyas poc, ho, volums such as The Loved ns Cowperand Snshne n he Conry combind h muually inocnghoics o aluisic nosalgia and culual pogssivism, sagically alnaing h gnc algnmn dpnding on h mso h agumn and h audinc addssd. This nxus bnphoogaphc and poic idalism was nimaly conncd o h

icoian poccupaion wih h indpndnc o h maaland h spual n his conx, idniing and sssing phoo-gaphys poc qualiis lgimizd a poduciv cpocy bwn a and chnology ha was as caiv and xpmnal asi was nosalgic and consvaiv. Wha is mpoan o sss nconclon, howv, is how an ida o poy as adiion bcomsozn in im in h ush o mbac iconc modn invnions, suchas phoogaphy Phoogaphys pow o povid h s ulycomphnsv and accssibl hisoical cod inspid advocassuch as Thompson, Maclachl an, and Wigh o visionay samnsabou h nlighnmn o h masss and o qually opimisic com-binaions o liay and phoogaphic oms, a posiiv mbac ophoogaphys culual impac whch was, o cous, by no mansuniom. On nd only ad Baudlas amilia splnic sponso h daguoyp as on o h mo vil incanaions o h is oan undiscimnang mass vsual culu o nd a dissning voc nh mds o his appoving chous And h w many Englshvoics ha w qually dclins n h pognoss o h culualimpac o mchancally poducd a and wha SainBuv dcdas ndusial liau5 Th wllknown ciic Fancs TunPalgav, o xampl, vhmnly agud in h pags o hQrerly e vew

Steamengine and urnace ·the steel plate the roler the press the

Daguerreope, the Voltac battery and the lens are the antagonist prncples o art; and so ong as they are permitted to rule so long ust art bepeented ro er taking root again n the aections o mankind. t may

· adel aires negate reaction to the Dagerreotype has been the sbect of manysenal sdes of oth the poet and early photography; hoever Marina \arnerMans analyss of the reception contet of Badelares slon essay is possby themost relevant o ths dscsson o photographc revewn in hphy and I · H CA SaneBeve, e la tterae ndstrielle r empan

rs , ; cited in Warner Maren hphy ad C

rly Vorn hoogph Dsorse 5

continue to aord enjoyment to those who are seered in spir rom themultit ude bu t the masses will be quite easy without it

Ths vson o mass als consciousnss as h anihss o annlghnd li ssss h alinaing cs o nw chnologs,valing how udly hs nw invnons could mov om bingnaualizd agns o social cohsion o signs o h dhumanizingauomasm o mass consumpon. Th pupos o his sudy, how

v, s no o supplan such ngav accouns wih a mo uopanvsion o vns, bu ah, o xplo h suppssd anisha xs bwn Palgav's nihilisic vw o phoogaphy and hsponss o opimiss such as Thompson Wigh, and Gundy.Wha bnds hs dvgn vws ogh is a simla concpion oa, and by mplcaon poy, as a om o slowing down im.Poming h disincivly modn ol o imkp, h da opoy as a dvc o animang h spii o h pas wa� a co?plling and pvasv on PosRomanic n is poccupaon whnaual gnsis and inhnly compaav in s sss on h aniy bwn disinc oms, aly phoogaphic discous claid

and innsid wha was a sak o hos who blvd in hcivlizng pow o a. Whl his poin has bn mad in h conxo Vcoian a phoogaphy, paiculaly in h conx o h PRaphali sylings o Oska Rjland, Hny Pach Robinson andJulia Maga Camon, h adapaion o his poc dal o suiunapologcally commcial oms nds o b considd in gadph Thoizd by Thompson and alizd by Wgh and Gundy,as wll as by mo npnual phoogaphic publshs, such asA. W. Bnn and Gog Washingon Wlson, who will b subcso h ollowng chaps, hs balanc o commc and dalismsuggss ha many o h nlighnd li ha Palgav vigoouslyspaas om h unnlighnd masss w mo insd in

ngagmn han signd sclusion, vn i hi ins in aksha somims ouwighd hi dsi o nlighn h consu.

5 Sir Francis Pagave The Fne Arts in Foene Quy Rvw 66 o


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4 8 Ea Vctorian Photograhic Discourse

her ave he chidre pa;Rig e or ig eaDog good o ma ad beaAa givig ear everLe ream I love o ever49

Gundys mages nves Hws mawks senmen w a meessquay a ceeaes e cnnuy f adn ws smuaneusy pmng e aacns f pgapc vesmudePvng e e f Ruskns msecgnn f pgapy asa mecanca usupan f uman a eguaed y desgn ssequence s ypca f e dagc naue f eay pgapcusa n. 5° Fa fm usupng adna usave pacc esvuhes suc a Gundys eemp e sugge f eay p-gapes e assmaed n esased cuua and dscusvenewks ug e cea n f caf and adna fms fua a u a ceeay descpve mde a as neseced we ugenng ppua nees n fk cuue n mdVcan

Engand us a s Nancy Amsng as cnvncngy agued aean nung e Vcan puc e adns f cuny feegna pgapes suc as Gundy ny nensed cusy nfk adns y pvdng uan cnsumes w a seady w fmages f ua dwees a pmed a myc sense f fagmensf ua and egna fe as anacnsc suvvas a seecve epesenan wc fen ad desucve ecnmc and degcaeffecs. One suc effec was e pducn f a fud ecafusn f engapc descpn and eay nsaga wc nun was we su ed e packagng f pgaps and pey nvumes a pmed an umaey cnsevave naave f emaea and spua pgess fe nan. n s cne Gundysdecsn usae Ca es e Vage eempes e neenamgues and saegc fgeng a smemes caacezedeay pgapc pacce 2

By fegundng e uss epeence f e vage Gundyepduces e sysc anacnsms f e pasa a Caes

• Grudy, he te or, ·-" John Ruskin, he Work o Joh k ed. E Cook and Alexander

Wedderburn (Lodo: George Ae, 02, xx. 6 Armstrog agues alog these es Fo he Ae o hooph 8 8.2 Grudy, he he o,

Ear Victoian Photoghic Discouse 49

Willi Mi n, e Ve

pem cndemned Any ace f acve au as een emved fme scene eavng end aese cay pea sng pes f ewd andacng. Pvegng e uan s eve as e dsneesed wness e vages suvva Gundys mage encuages passve appecan n cnas e acve eca engagemen a Caead demanded fm s eades An emssay fm ane wdGundys us appeas e wang f e ca naas ssue f fm e aced cages and nduce m ecams f e ua esence a paenasc mpessn fueamped y e anacnsc adapan f an egeenceuymage f ua fe fame and au ze e eis uey atstc sens y f e Vcan eay us

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Victorian Photography

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