Brower will examine the development of live animal photography in nature at the end of the 19th century by focusing on the adaptation of hunting techniques—especially the hunting blind—by photographers aiming to capture images of animals. This entertaining lecture complements the exhibition In Focus: Animalia.
Brower will examine the development of live animal photography in nature at the end of the 19th century and the emergence of wildlife photography as a cultural form. As snapshot technology came into use in the second half of the century, it became possible to photograph live animals in nature as a regular practice. Many of the early animal photographers in the United States conceived of their practice as a form of hunting, and they adapted techniques such as jacklighting and the use of tracking dogs. The most significant of these adapted techniques was the hunting blind, which evolved into the photographic blind in the period between 1890 and 1910. The photographic blind allowed the production of unprecedented images of animal life and provided visual evidence of the existence of a realm of deep nature separate from human experience. These new images provided the conceptual foundation for the genre of wildlife photography and altered the way we think about and relate to wild animals.
Matthew Brower is a curator at the art gallery and lecturer in museum studies and information studies at the University of Toronto. He is author of Developing Animals: Wildlife and Early American Photography. His course “Envisioning Animals: Animals and Visual Culture” received an award as outstanding new course from the Humane Society of the United States.
Hide and See: The Photographic Blind as a Technology of Animal Representation will be held on Sunday, June 14, at 3:00pm at the Getty Center in the museum lecture hall. Tickets are free, but reservations are recommended. Call 310–440–7300 or reserve online.