How Has the Family Album Changed from the 19th to the 20th Centuries - Term Paper Example

Just as the American family has developed along social lines, the cultural differences between the social perceptions of self, immediate family, and ancestors have presented themselves and become embodied in the family album.  It is this characteristic of being what Wright calls a “representational system” that has morphed a collection of photographs, whether they are pasted in an old book or posted on the internet, into evidence of cultural change             One of the most dramatic changes in the family album has come about as a result of technology.

  Certainly, the evolution of the camera itself has impacted the way families are able to portray themselves.  The ease of simply taking a modern picture has brought the photograph from the realm of the technical professional into the reach of anyone.  Naturally, the processing methodology has evolved to the point that there is no processing in the traditional sense for a digital photograph; its framer may simply look in the screen and immediately decide to accept or reject the image.

  In terms of the family album itself, though, perhaps the most radical impact of technology is the presentation of the photos.  People no longer have to sit on the couch with a large book to see their history and memories.  They can click in their web browser and navigate to a website or online photo album.  As explored further in this paper, the advent of digital imaging technology has radically altered the family album. Briefly, before treating the changes in the family album over the last centuries, it should be noted that there are key similarities and motivations related to creating and keeping such albums that have not been altered by time.

  The changes that have occurred have not done so in a vacuum, and understanding those changes is best framed within the context of the similarities that timelessly pass through the whole idea of keeping a family album in the first place.  The photograph and its collection for family use have always been about people.  Nancy Shawcross notes that it is the “family album that traces the ties of flesh and blood outlined in faces, in limbs, in postures, and in expressions.”