Topic investigation for Thurs. Sept. 10

"The political and ideological discourses embedded in the conflation of scientific naturalism and photographic naturalism in the presentation of observable fact has long been recognized in photography, the body and visibility, and surveillance and control." (from Raw histories: photographs, anthropology and museums By Elizabeth Edwards p.131)

Anthropometric Photography has been in practice for a long time. Thomas Henry Huxley being one of the first to use this theory of comparing people visually through photography. In 1869 Huxley, a Darwinian biologist, started a project to document the people of the British Empire photographically. His intent was to compare and contrast the peoples under British rule. He wanted to show not only the people but the types of clothing that they wore to help better understand the different cultures. Ethnographic photography, another name for anthropometric photography, was a very popular through the 1860s and 70s as people began to explore and find new cultures to exploit.

Due to the lack of uniformity in this practice there were several photographers who attempted to create a set of regulations or guidelines on how to go about documenting these peoples. John Lamprey wrote an article "On a Method of Measuring the Human Form" wrote in 1869. This article became influential to all who were implementing the ethnographic process. Lamprey focused on the nude male figure, removing the ability to show regional clothing, this allowed the viewer to concentrate on skin color, hair texture and proportions of the body. This new way of documenting people made it easier to see the basic differences and similarities between all humans.