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 Stieglitzs 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 photographys relationships to vision, identity, and memory are also examined. Readings reveal the main debates and issues surrounding the nature of photography: What is photography? Is it objective, subjective, or somehow both? Is a photographic print a document, 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.
