A Personal Analysis of Two Images - Essay Example

With the invention and wide spread of photography many things in people’s life have changed. Cameras and photos have, to some extent, changed even the lifestyle of people. While just a few hundred years ago it took quite a while to paint a picture, taking one takes as little as a few seconds today (as with Polaroid, for instance). Centuries ago only the richest people could afford having an own portrait. Today, on contrast, nearly everyone can afford having as many photos of oneself as he or she wants. Furthermore, a painted picture may misrepresent reality, because it is painted by an artist whose personal perception may influence the final image. This phenomenon is not a feature of photography, because a photo reflects exactly what a camera captures. For this reason photographs may even serve as evidence of certain historical events – they reflect the reality of the moment. On this matter James Curtis outlines that “Public and scholarly faith in the realism of the photographic image is grounded in a belief that a photograph is a mechanical reproduction of reality” (Curtis 2003, pp.1-2). Therefore, it is possible to assume that in most cases a photograph can give rather precise information about the people, places and events of a particular moment in time. For this reason it is interesting to investigate the social, cultural and historical context of photographs from different time periods to find out how these geographical aspects change through time, and how they are reflected by photography. Two photographs were chosen for this purpose: ‘Research into Heredity’ taken in 1880-1889 by Sir Francis Galton and ‘Group photograph of visit to Russia’ taken in 1922 by an unknown author. Research into Heredity Just like the ‘Group photograph of visit to Russia’, ‘Research into Heredity’ can be called a documentary photograph because it also tells a story of what was taking place around the moment of taking a picture. In particular, ‘Research into Heredity’ is a photo of a boating party. What is known is that the party took place sometime between 1880 and 1889, and the photograph of its participants was used by Sir Francis Galton as a part of his research into heredity and genetics. Most likely Sir Galton kept this photograph for scientific purposes. It is seen that some faces were cut out of the photo. So, it might be assumed that those cut out faces were then used by the photographer as an aid in his research of heredity. It can be seen that both, men and women, as well as some children, were present at the party. Most men are accompanied by a woman, so it is possible that men came to the party together with their families. Considering that many people in the photograph are relatives, the assumption that the cut out faces were used for studying heredity seems to be relatively realistic. All the people in the picture are of different ages, ranging approximately from seven to fifty-five. They all are dressed well and fancily, so they might be celebrating some holiday. On the other hand, it is possible that they gathered together as representatives of some social group – maybe they are coworkers or members of one organization. However, since they are not dressed officially, but rather for leisure, it is impossible to say what their professions might be. The photograph was made by Sir Francis Galton. So, since he was present at the party, it can be concluded that he had something in common with the group of people in the photograph. However, Galton is known for achievements in many scientific fields, including geography, meteorology, differential psychology, statistical correlation and regression, heredity, eugenics and proto-geneticist among others (Galton.org). Therefore, it might be that the participants of the boating party also have a relation to one of these sciences. It is also worth noting that all the people are white. Looking at their clothes it is possible to assume that they represent middle or upper class of the society – both men and women have nice coats and hats that seem quite expensive. Consequently, they all are prosperous and educated people of the Victorian period of British history. They seem to come from rich households that, most likely, had servants. This historic period is known as prosperous in Britain – the country was one of the richest in the world and its soldiers were participating in wars all over the world (Barrow 2010). The population was growing, life expectancy was increasing, mortality declined and life expectancy at birth doubled (Woods 2000, p.4). Industrialization was feeding the economy and people had enough money for leisure. Furthermore, the national railway system created at that time (Barrow 2010) gave the British an opportunity to travel longer distances, so many people had no problems gathering at one place even in a short period of time even if they lived far from each other. For this reason it cannot be excluded that the people at the boating party in the photograph might come from different geographical regions. They gathered together at the river side and were spending time partying and boating, since it can be seen that some people in the picture are standing or sitting in boats. The general atmosphere seems to be very positive and friendly. The weather is not hot – people are wearing coats. But there are leaves in the trees, so it is early autumn or late spring. Group photograph of visit to Russia ‘Group photograph of visit to Russia’ is, just like ‘Research into Heredity’ is a documentary photograph. It was taken in 1922 by an unknown author, so it can be assumed that it was a professional photographer, who was invited to the meeting in order to take that picture. Probably he was from Russia, because it is unlikely that the British group took their own photographer with then into such a long trip. In addition, it was an official event, so most likely all of the participants were to be present in the picture, so the photograph itself was taken by an individual who had no relation to the meeting. Therefore, it is very likely that the photographer was not acquainted with the participants of the meeting, at least with the British guests. While he or she might have known or heard of the Russian scientists present at the meeting, he probably had never heard of the foreign visitors before. However, it is also possible that the photograph was taken by someone who was helping in organizing the meeting, or by a person who works with, or knows, the Russian scientists. It is seen that some scientists are not looking at the photographer. It seems that there was one more camera, at which some of the people were looking awaiting for the picture to be taken. The British group visited Russia in 1922. It was not the easiest year for both, Britain and Russia. Russia had just come over the revolution, assassination of the Royal family, and both countries were recovering after the First World War of 1914-1918. Furthermore, in 1920 the Republic of Ireland became independent from the United Kingdom (Barrow 2010). As for Russia, it had already transformed into the USSR and was in the process of strengthening the new state and the government. So year 1922 was rather complex in its political, economic and social affairs in both counties. Nevertheless, since the visit did take place, it is logical to assume that the two powerful countries were cooperating in different activities, including scientific ones. Therefore, the photograph was taken in order to immortalize, in some sense, the scientific friendship and cooperation of the two countries – experienced and powerful Great Britain and young but ambitious USSR. It was the proof for scientific societies of both Britain and the USSR that the countries have warm relationships and, through communication in many fields, including scientific one, support good relationships. The names of fifteen people in the picture are not known. It is only known that the sixteenth one is Frederick George Donnan. He is standing on the far left. Donnan was a chemist and a member of the Royal society, who made a great contribution into the development of microbiology and physical chemistry (Faraday Society 1957, p.53). Therefore, it is logical to assume that the rest of the people present at the meeting are also chemists. However, two people are wearing a uniform, so they may be some representatives of the government to oversee the meeting of Soviet scientists with the foreign guests. It is also interesting to note that there are no women present at the meeting, so probably only men were representing the scientific elite of both Britain and the USSR, as well as keeping high positions in their organizations. The photograph was taken in the USSR. The scientists are standing outside the building of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in Moscow, the capital of the country. So probably the meeting itself was taking place in the building of the Academy of Sciences. It is known that the photo was kept by Frederick George Donnan – probably to remind him about the historical event. Perceiving photography It can be seen that both photographs - ‘Group photograph of visit to Russia’ and ‘Research into Heredity’ – are documentary photographs. They both picture groups of white people of different ages. However, while ‘Research into Heredity’ pictures leisure time of happy wealthy families, ‘Group photograph of visit to Russia’ has more politics standing behind it. The people in the ‘Group photograph of visit to Russia’ are serious. Their pompous look tells that it was not just a friendly meeting of colleagues from different countries. On the contrary – scientific collaboration was to help the two great countries in establishing warm and friendly relationships on the stage of world politics and economics. Therefore, the visit was not only a sign of collaboration between the scientists, but also a sign of collaboration between the countries. In any case, it should be remembered that, as Barthes outlines, that the “"photograph is not only perceived, received, it is read, connected more or less consciously by the public that consumes it to a traditional stock of signs" (Barthes 1977, p.19). It should also be remembered that people who viewed the photograph a hundred years ago perceived it much differently than current generation, because they have a different set of values and knowledge; they assign different meanings to the same images on the basis of different historical and social experiences. Furthermore, taking a photograph, especially a group one, can also be viewed as a collective ritual. So, if analyzed from this point of view, a photograph cannot always tell the truth about real relationships between the people. As photography developed, it simply became a tradition to take a group picture of the participants of some gathering. So, how a person interprets a photograph does not necessarily tell the truth about the photo itself. On the contrary – the interpretation may tell much about the individual who views the picture, about his or her social and cultural background and experience. This can be explained by the idea that what a person sees he or she always relates to one’s own experience. Therefore, it can be assumed that the analysis of the two documentary photographs presented above is subjective. It represents the initial content and meaning of the photos through the lens of individual personal emotional and social experience, as well as historical knowledge. More information about the photographs, about the people and places that can be seen in them would, of course, help to make the interpretation more precise and closer to reality. However, even additional facts will not help to see the photograph in the manner it was seen by the people who are in it, or by those who lived in their time. It is also worth noting that the moods of the photographs are different. Though they both picture smiling and friendly people, ‘Group photograph of visit to Russia’ feels as more serious and significant for both those who is pictured and those who is viewing the photograph. References Barrow, M., 2010. History of Britain - timeline and fact. [online] Available at: [Accessed 2 January 2013]. Barthes, R., 1977. The Photographic Message. Image-Music-Text. Trans. Stephen Heath. Glasgow: Fontana/Collins. Curtis, J., 2003. Making Sense of Documentary Photography, History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course, Available through: History Matters website [Accessed 2 January 2013]. Faraday Society, 1957. “Frederick George Donnan”, Transactions of the Faraday Society, 0, p.53. Galton, F., 1880-1889. Research into Heredity. [photograph] Available at: [Accessed 1 January 2013]. Galton.org. Sir Francis Galton F.R.S. 1822-191. [online] Available at: [Accessed 2 January 2013]. Unknown author, 1922. Group photograph of visit to Russia. [photograph] Available at: [Accessed 1 January 2013]. Woods, R., 2000. The Demography of Victorian England and Wales. Cambridge University Press. Read More