A Short History of Photography

A Short History of Photography

Walter Benjamin's groundbreaking essay on photography theory explores the social and psychological dynamics of the mass-media age and is recognised as one of the indispensable works of cultural theory. The classic 1972 translation by Stanley Mitchell is now available in book form for the first time to mark the 80th Anniversary of the original publication, with a new Introduction by writer and photographer Henry Bond.

From the Introduction

"Applied as a modus operandi, any intention to demystify or debunk through a rebuttal of idÃ©es reÃ§ues--conventional wisdom--often emerges directly from everyday life: anthropological field research made on a tram; in a cafe; at an art exhibition; lazing on a mountainside smoking a joint ('My First Impressions of Hashish'); or, as here, whilst perusing a selection of recently published photo-books."

"Benjamin's essay was first published in German in three consecutive weekly instalments in the arts-to-politics magazine Literarische Welt, in the Fall of 1931, where it appears as 'Kleine Geschichte der Photographie.' Notwithstanding its appearance in the context of a journalistic, features-led current affairs title, Benjaimin's essay is, I claim--I am bold, but I cannot imagine I am alone in this conclusion--the single most significant essay in the quite slim canon of indispensable photo theory texts: there is no later scholar of photo who has not been influenced by it."

"Benjamin's deliberately unassuming 'little' history can and should be opposed to all the grand reference tomes on photography that are packed with so much ('includes more than 3,000 color and black-and-white images,' etc.), but which are ultimately only unwieldy and tedious."
Country USA
Author Walter Benjamin
Binding Kindle Edition
EISBN 9780956979025
Format Kindle eBook
NumberOfPages 28
PublicationDate 2011-08-25
ReleaseDate 2011-08-25

Country	USA
Author	Walter Benjamin
Binding	Kindle Edition
EISBN	9780956979025
Format	Kindle eBook
NumberOfPages	28
PublicationDate	2011-08-25
ReleaseDate	2011-08-25

A Short History of Photography

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