Picturing the Process:
Portraiture Through the Lens
EXHIBITION RESOURCE
©2008 The Museum of Photographic Arts
Curriculum Resource for:
Picturing the Process: Portraiture Through the Lens
January 12-June 22, 2008
Written by the Education Department:
Marisa Scheinfeld
Educator and Docent Programs Manager
Shana Cinquemani
Outreach and Intern Manager
Priscilla Parra
Youth and Film Programs Manager
Cover Image: William Henry Fox Talbot, Nicolaas Henneman Asleep, Lacock or Reading, England, early 18441845, Modern Salt Print, Museum Purchase
Museum of Photographic Arts
Education Department
1649 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101
[email protected]
[email protected]
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Picturing the Process:
Portraiture Through the Lens
In Latin, camera means room or chamber. As long ago as the 10th century, it was discovered
that an image could be seen projected through a small opening onto the opposite wall in a
dark room or tent. By the 1500s, there were working models of the camera obscura, or dark
chamber, predating the invention of photography by more than two hundred years. From the
introduction of the camera obscura as a tool for observation and drawing, a mosaic of ideas,
discoveries and devices came together to change the way we viewed ourselves and the world.
This exhibition is an example of photographic processes through a specific theme:
portraiture. The desire to represent the human form has always existed. Whether through the
medium of painting or sculpture, the concept that a portrait could represent both the likeness
and character of its subject has motivated artists throughout time.
With the invention of the daguerreotype in 1839, the first publicly available permanent
photographic process, a phenomenon was born. Called the “mirror with a memory”, the
daguerreotype allowed exquisite and detailed images to be made by the action of sunlight.
The emergence of photography gave rise to an increased demand for portraits. Cheaper and
easier to produce than a painting, portrait photography quickly became a popular industry.
The earliest photographic portraits required the sitter to pose without moving for anywhere
from 5 to 60 minutes. Photography would come to fuel an ever expanding world whose
inhabitants lived with an intense desire to capture it.
Since its invention in 1839, the unique power of photography has been utilized to record,
report, and inform. This exhibition is broken up into four sections (A Portrait of the Process,
Portrait of a People, Portrait, and Self-Portrait) each representing different variations of the
portrait throughout time, category, and process. Selected photographers and their images
have been highlighted with additional text to provide the viewer with further information
about the photographer, process, and relative importance in photographic history.
The Education Department at MoPA has been given a permanent collection gallery space
for exhibitions on an ongoing basis. Picturing the Process: Portraiture Through the Lens is the
first, representing selections from the museum’s extensive Permanent Collection. The
exhibition is an effort to present the many facets of portraiture from the pre-photographic era
to the invention of photography and into contemporary times.
A Portrait of the Process
Photography is the result of combining several different technologies invented over many
years. These technologies continue to evolve to this day. As photographic equipment
becomes more diverse, the ability to make variations of portraits gives photographers more
freedom and creativity. A Portrait of the Process will provide a historical look at key processes
such as the daguerreotype, cyanotype, wet collodion albumen, and gelatin silver print.
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Portrait of a People
Today, it is almost impossible to image a time before photography existed.
The invention of photography brought together optics, chemistry and technology, allowing
people to see the world in a dramatically new way. A photograph became a way of
communicating information about other people, places, and cultures. Photography provided
new and exciting ways to see what was once visually unknown.
Portrait
The photograph allowed a new way of looking at ourselves. With the invention of the
camera, photography became an essential tool in recording human behavior, customs, and
lifestyles.
A portrait is a story filled with clues and ideas about who a person is, what their status in
society is, and sometimes even, a reflection of their self-worth.
Self-Portrait
From cave paintings, to sculptures and oil-on-canvas, artists have long been drawn to
creating self-portraits. Self-portraits may reveal not only psychological features of a person,
but also their relationships with another person.
Selected Photographers and Images:
Nancy Burson
Intrigued by science and technology, Nancy Burson pioneered a computer program in the
early 1980s, commonly referred to as “morphing.” Morphing creates facial composites that
age-enhance the human face. Her method has been utilized by law enforcement as a tool for
locating missing children. The human face, its ability to be manipulated, and its defining
genetic code, are recurring themes in almost all of Burson’s works. Burson’s portraits
introduce us to images of healers and religious figures, morphed composites of popular icons
and political leaders, deformed faces, and hermaphrodites.
Julia Margaret Cameron
Julia Margaret Cameron was one of the most famous female portrait photographers of the
19th century. An amateur photographer, she received her first camera at the age of 48.
Cameron created imagery with the albumen process to produce images ranging in color,
from reddish to a purple-brown. In her work, Cameron strived to capture the inner beauty of
her sitters, often romanticizing them using a soft focus lens. Her subjects were often family
and friends, but she was also well known for photographing important writers, artists, and
thinkers of her time.
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Edward Curtis
Edward Curtis is renowned for his photographs of Native Americans. Curtis became
interested in photography as a young child when he built his own camera. By 1896, he
established himself as a studio photographer and became the official photographer of the
Edward E. Harriman Expedition in 1899. His interest in Native Americans culminated in a
twenty-volume set of ethnographic information illustrated with photo-engravings taken from
his glass plate negatives.
Curtis is also known for his use of the unique process of Orotones, or goldtone prints, which
were praised for their beauty and stability. Orotones are an example of an early photographic
negative/positive process. The back of the plate was painted with a mixture of gold pigment
and banana oil to give the appearance of a gold color. An Oasis in the Badlands, South Dakota
depicts Red Hawk (Cheta'-luta), a sub-chief of the Ogalala Sioux, who was born in 1854.
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander began his photography career making portraits of jazz and blues musicians.
Friedlander became intensely inspired by Robert Frank's 1958 book, The Americans, and soon
began a prolific career focused on the American social landscape. With his street
photography, Friedlander gave shape to the triviality of daily life, and photographed the
intricacy of American society.
Friedlander’s photographs often include references to himself by including his shadow or
reflection. He wrote of his own work, "I suspect it is for one's self-interest that one looks at
one's surroundings and one's self. This search is personally borne and is indeed my reason
and motive for making photographs."
Gertrude Käsebier
Gertrude Käsebier holds an important place in the history of photography. Käsebier was a
founding member of the Pictorial Photographers of America, the Photo-Secessionist group,
as well as one of the first women to own and run a successful studio.
The image of a young unidentified Indian boy is characteristic of the pictoralist ideals,
including a soft focus and deep shadow to portray emotion. For Käsebier, this portrait
captured her ideal purpose. “I could never get what I wanted. Finally, one of them,
petulant, raised his blanket about his shoulders and stood before the camera. I snapped and
had it.”
(From Gertrude Käsebier: The Photographer and her Photographs, by Barbara L. Michaels)
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Arnold Newman
An American photographer, Arnold Newman’s portraits focused as much on the sitter’s
environment as on the individual. Newman’s portraits included famous people of different
professions, including writers, composers, political leaders, and scientists. His subjects were
posed in their own environment, or an environment that reflected their character or trade.
In Georgia O’Keefe, Ghost Ranch, N.M., Newman depicts painter Georgia O’Keeffe through
motifs found in her art. The white canvas alludes to O’Keefe’s medium of art, while the
desert background is a reference to the subject matter she paints. Newman represents the
stark simplicity and rich texture of O’Keeffe’s desert paintings by showing a classical profile
standing in front of a blank white canvas in the middle of a desert.
Edward Steichen
Edward Steichen was a renowned photographer, painter, and curator. In the early 20th
century, Steichen worked alongside Alfred Stieglitz to establish the Photo-Secession, a group
of photographers committed to furthering photography’s status as a fine art. Steichen is
credited for the 1955 exhibition The Family of Man, which featured over 500 photographs
portraying birth, life, death, love, war, and joy, in order to capture the universality of the
human experience.
While a self-portrait is often an image of the artist alone, many times a photographer chooses
to represent themselves with important people in their life. In Steichen and Wife Clara on their
Honeymoon, Lake George, NY, Steichen portrays himself alongside his wife Clara. The
photograph, taken on their honeymoon, represents an important and meaningful moment in
Steichen’s life.
William Henry Fox Talbot
In 1839, William Henry Fox Talbot introduced a permanent photographic process which he
described as “photogenic drawings.” His photogenic drawings, or photograms, were made
by placing an object on top of a sensitized piece of paper and exposing it to sunlight,
resulting in a negative outline of the object. A later improvement of the process, the calotype,
included placing the sensitized paper in a camera, and exposing it to produce a paper
negative. Perfected in 1840 and introduced a year later, the calotype was also known as the
Talbotype after its inventor. From one negative any number of positive images could be
printed, unlike the daguerreotype.
The image Nicholaas Henneman Asleep, Lacock or Reading, England, stands out as among the
most natural portraits of its time. He appears to be asleep, though this pose may have been
an attempt to sit still for the camera.
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Suggested Activity
Take a Portrait
Description: In this two session lesson, students will learn about the history of portraiture
and make portraits of their own classmates and families.
Objective: To learn about the history of portraiture since the dawn of photography and how
the invention of photography has affected the world.
Time Required: One Museum visit, a 60-minute class session, outside class time for
photographing, and a critique session.
Grade Level: 5-12
Materials:
Notebook paper
Pencils
Cameras
Photo Paper
Printer
Preparation:
• Familiarize yourself with the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). Read the overview of
Visual Thinking Strategies (PDF) written by Abigail Housen and Philip Yenawine at
Visual Understanding in Education. For more information on VTS, visit www.vue.org.
• Preview the exhibition, Picturing the Process with your class.
• Print out the attached images to discuss and distribute to your students.
Procedures:
Museum Visit:
View the exhibition with your class. Consider and discuss the following questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What do you think about when you hear the word portrait?
What can be revealed about a person through their portrait?
What did the invention of the Daguerreotype do for photography and
additionally, for the world?
What are common characteristics of the earliest portraits?
Looking at a contemporary photograph in the exhibition, how has the portrait
evolved throughout time?
After Museum Visit:
Discuss the exhibition with your students, allowing each to comment and talk about one
specific portrait they were interested in. Tell the students that they will have to take a portrait
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
of a classmate, a teacher, or a family member. This portrait must reveal something about the
subject either of their personality or in their own environment. Give the students ample time
to find a subject to photograph.
In Class Critique:
Have each student bring in one photograph which will represent their assignment. Students
should consider and discuss the following questions.
•
•
•
What, if anything did the portrait you took show, or reveal about the subject?
How could you have changed, or altered the photograph, subject, or place the
photograph was taken to disclose more about your subject?
Does your portrait mirror the style of earlier or more contemporary portraiture?
Optional (but highly recommended):
If space is available in your classroom, libraries, or school hallways, create a small exhibition
about each student’s photograph. Each student should write a small paragraph about their
portrait to be hung alongside the work.
Creating an exhibition for others in the school to see is a positive, creative, and encouraging
outlet for students and teachers alike. An exhibition will not only engage in new and
challenging means of education and teaching, but will improve the students’ self-esteem and
open them up to the many possibilities available through the medium of photography.
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Suggested Activity
Take A Self-Portrait
Description: In this two session lesson, students will learn about the self-portrait and how it
has been utilized since pre-photographic times and continues to be an area of exploration for
artists.
Objective: Students will observe and explore their personal lives, either at home, their
neighborhoods, an after-school activity, sport, or weekend activity. They will be asked to
take a self-portrait, which reveals something of their own personal character.
Time Required: One Museum visit, a 60-minute class session, outside class time for
photographing, and a critique session.
Grade Level: 5-12
Materials:
Notebook paper
Pencils
Camera
Photo Paper
Printer
Preparation:
• Familiarize yourself with the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). Read the overview of
Visual Thinking Strategies (PDF) written by Abigail Housen and Philip Yenawine at
Visual Understanding in Education. For more information on VTS, visit www.vue.org.
• Review the curricula information and view the exhibition Picturing the Process.
• Print out the attached images to discuss and distribute to your students.
Procedures:
Museum Visit:
View the exhibition with your class. Consider and discuss the following questions:
•
•
•
•
What can a self-portrait tell us?
How does the self-portrait reveal characteristics of the photographer?
By including another in a self-portrait, what message could that send to the
viewer?
After seeing the exhibition, what alternate ways could you take a self-portrait,
rather than just holding the camera out in front of you?
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
After Museum Visit:
Discuss the exhibition with your students, allowing each to comment and talk about one of
the self-portraits they were interested in. Tell the students that they will have to take their own
self- portraits. This self-portrait must reveal something about the subject, their personality, or
personal environment. Give the students ample time to take an image that will tell a story
about them.
In Class:
Have each student show their self-portrait to the rest of the class. Students should consider
and discuss the following questions.
•
•
•
•
How do you feel about your self-portrait?
What did you intend to revel about yourself through this portrait?
What does it reveal to the viewer?
What were you scared to reveal in your self-portrait? (This may be a question to have
the class think about)
Optional (but highly recommended):
If space is available in your classroom, libraries, or school hallways, create a small exhibition
about each student’s photograph. Each student should write a small paragraph about their
portrait to be hung alongside the work.
Creating an exhibition for others in the school to see is a positive, creative, and encouraging
outlet for students and teachers alike. An exhibition will not only engage in new and
challenging means of education and teaching, but will improve the students’ self-esteem and
open them up to the many possibilities available through the medium of photography.
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Vocabulary
Ambrotypes
The ambrotype was invented in the United States by James Ambrose Cutting and patented
in 1854. Although small and delicate like a daguerreotype, ambrotypes were faster and less
expensive to produce.
Cabinet Cards
Introduced in the 1860s, a cabinet card was larger in scale than a carte-de-visite and
essentially replaced them as a photographic object. At six by four inches, cabinet cards were
studio portraits and were embossed or printed with the photographer’s name or insignia on
its reverse side. The popularity of the cabinet card declined in the 1890s after the
introduction of enlarged studio portraiture.
Carte-de-visite
The carte-de-visite is a stiff piece of card measuring about four and half by two and a half
inches. Carte-de-visites were produced by the millions during the 1860s and were normally
posed, studio portraits.
Cyanotype
The cyanotype was invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842. It consists of a piece of paper
coated with photosensitive chemicals which, when exposed to light, produces an image. A
simple and inexpensive process, cyanotypes were initially used to reproduce botanical
specimens. The process continues to be used today as an alternative process of expression.
Daguerreotype
Invented in France by Louis Jacques Daguerre in 1839, the daguerreotype is a one of a kind
image. Formed on a piece of chemically coated copper and sandwiched between a small mat
and a piece of glass, daguerreotypes were placed in decorative cases for their protection. The
daguerreotype was especially popular during the Industrial Revolution and served as a
means of portraiture accessible to all.
The daguerreotype became the first commercially viable photographic process. It was also
the first method of permanently recording and fixing an image.
Hand Colored Photographs
Since the days of the daguerreotype, artists have used a variety of means to manually add
color to an image. With the use of watercolor or other types of paint, hand coloring added
intensity to a black and white image.
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Mug Shot
Photography played an important role in the evolution of criminology. As a scientific tool
used for identification purposes, photography helped validate the 19th century notion that
criminal types could be identified by specific physical features.
In the early 1880s, the Frenchman Alphonse Bertillon created a new system of criminal
identification that included detailed body measurements. It combined a physical description
and photographic portrait that included a front and side view. This system helped to
establish a new scientific approach to police work. Within a decade, the Paris police
department amassed more than 100,000 photographs utilizing this new system.
Photographic Jewelry
Portrait jewelry served as a sentimental item, a personality captured in time, and a fashion
accessory. Portraits could be worn on velvet ribbons around the neck, as rings, bracelets,
lockets, or, like the example in this exhibition, as a brooch. Even men occasionally wore
portraits suspended around the neck under their shirts.
Pictorialism
Pictorialist photographers consciously imitated painting, striving to have photography
embraced as fine art. Processes such as platinum and gum printing allowed photographers to
create soft focus, painterly photographs. Photogravure, a photomechanical etching process
using ink, was also often used and produced images with a wide variety of tones. The
medium also allowed for manipulation of the image, permitting the photographer to produce
a more painterly effect.
Portrait
A portrait is a story filled with clues and ideas about who a person is, what their status in
society is, and sometimes even, a reflection of their self-worth.
Self-Portrait
A Self-Portrait is a photograph that an artist takes of him of her self. Self-portraits may reveal
not only psychological features of a person, but also their relationships with another perso
Post-Mortem Photography
Photographic portraits were taken of people at all stages of life, from birth to death. These
photographs served less as a reminder of mortality than as a keepsake to remember the
deceased. The subject is usually depicted so as to seem in a deep sleep.
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Post-Mortem portraiture was especially common during the late 1800s, as childhood
mortality rates were extremely high. A post-mortem photograph may have been the only
image of a child the family ever had.
Tintypes
The tintype was invented in the United States by Hamilton L. Smith in 1853. A one of a
kind image, the tintype was produced on a metal plate and could be made very quickly. Like
the daguerreotype and the ambrotype, tintypes were sometimes placed in small cases for
protection. Tintypes were often made by street vendors and found great popularity during
the Civil War, since they were small enough to be mailed. With an exposure time of one
minute, the process of making a tintype was the first type of instant photography,
comparable to the digital process of today.
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Arnold Newman, Georgia O’Keefe, Ghost Ranch, N.M., 1968, Dye Transfer, Gift of Arnold Newman
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Nadar, Victor Hugo, 1885, Woodburytype, Museum Purchase
Clarence White, The Cameo (Portrait of Julia McCune), Gum Platinum Print, Museum Purchase
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Bruce Davidson, East 100th Street, 1970, Gelatin Silver Print, Museum Purchase
James Fee, David Lynch-Director, 2001, Gelatin Silver Print, Gift of the Artist
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
Image List:
Bruce Davidson, East 100th Street, 1970, Gelatin Silver Print, Museum Purchase
James Fee, David Lynch-Director, 2001, Gelatin Silver Print, Gift of the Artist
Nadar, Victor Hugo, 1885, Woodburytype, Museum Purchase
Arnold Newman, Georgia O’Keefe, Ghost Ranch, N.M., 1968, Dye Transfer, Gift of Arnold Newman
William Henry Fox Talbot, Nicolaas Henneman Asleep, Lacock or Reading, England, early 1844-1845,
Modern Salt Print, Museum Purchase
Clarence White, The Cameo (Portrait of Julia McCune), Gum Platinum Print, Museum Purchase
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts
©2008 Museum of Photographic Arts