Alexander Gardner's Photograph Essay

Alex Kotlowitz met Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers in 1985 while working as a journalist. He was interviewing them for a photo essay in Chicago magazine on children living in poverty. The violence that occurred every day where the brothers lived in Governor Henry Horner Homes, or Horner, disturbed Kotlowitz. Lafeyette and Pharoah are 12 and 9 years old at the start of the book but have experienced more than many kids their age. The boys did not seem sure of what life held for them. Lafeyette told Kotlowitz, “If I grow up, I’d like to be a bus driver,” Lafeyette was not sure that he would grow up at just 10 years old (x). Kotlowitz wanted to show what it is like for children growing up in urban poverty after seeing the brothers’

One of the important early photographers was Timothy O’Sullivan who started his career under the study of Matthew Brady, the owner of the most well-known photographic portrait gallery in America (Davies 894). Brady was best known for his photographs and paintings of Abraham Lincoln. O’Sullivan left Brady and joined Alexander Gardner to photograph images of the Civil War. O’Sullivan built his reputation on “images that conveyed the destructive power of modern warfare” (Foresta). He captures the horrible devastation that occurred during the Civil War even though the equipment could not film action shots. Unlike most war photographers he did not move “objects and bodies” around in the picture.

Distinctively visual is not just about images but also the power of language that enables composers to transport us to their world, specifically to the place indicative of the time during which the text was written. Henry Lawson’s collection of short stories in particular ‘In a dry season’ and ‘The drover’s wife’ and my related text, Art Spigelman’s graphic novel ‘Maus’ bring their unique ideas to life shaping and challenging our perspective and understanding of various human experiences of pain, suffering ,courage, resilience and perseverance ultimately bringing personal and social issues to life.

Although civilians of the Western developed countries are fixated on the profit of entertainment media, John Cole’s illustration creates an understanding of the lack of attention towards starvation, dehumanization, and poverty in under-developed peoples.

In Alexander Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the Civil War, the haunting image “Harvest of Death” catches one’s eye with the seemingly endless field of corpses. The jarring facial expression on the figure in the foreground draws one into the narrative of the piece. However, our initial understanding of the image’s narrative is limited to what we can see and what we know of the circumstances surrounding it. While we know it was taken during the American Civil War, by simply looking at the photograph, we cannot know who is depicted. In black and white, it is difficult to even tell what side of the conflict these fallen soldiers fought for. We can interpret the image for our own readings, but we cannot tell what the artist intended us to see or what message he wanted to impart with it. These unknowns, however, are addressed in the related text associated with the image. These short passages can tell us a great deal about the photographer’s intentions and influence the way we read the image. Through the excerpt, we not only learn the intended meaning of the photography, but we also learn about Gardner’s political intentions and the key points he wanted his viewers to note within the image. Published as a pair, Gardner used his text to contextualize his images and inform the way we perceive them. This is clearly illustrated in “A Harvest of Death” and its accompanying passage.

For some, a picture is just a beautiful work of art, but for Lewis Hine photography was a way to communicate a message to the world. When Hine was taught the photographic process, it was still being established. This being said, photojournalism was also just evolving as a method to visually communicate information. In an effort to better his photography skills, Hine began to photograph the immigrants of Ellis Island. He was very adamant about social reform and reflected this in his work. Lewis Hine’s captivating photos inspired social change in America for the less fortunate.

An Australian Photographer,born in 1957 from the K’ua K’ua tribe. Before her passion developed for photography deacon has strong interests in politics. With the inspiration of Indigenous Activist Charles Perkins, it led Destiny to the beginning of her artistic endevours. "I was just in awe of him 'cause he was such a spokesperson. He was always there and I really miss him and I think Australia misses him.” 7] Growing up Deacon and her family lived in various Melbourne inner suburbs, in commission houses which while often tough opened her eyes to a whole other world "My family grew up on the waterfront. Our commission home was the hub of painters and dockers, criminals, unionists,there was culture galore.”]

Living in close proximity to Gettysburg, I have spent many weekends of my childhood hiking through the numerous acres of woods on Culp’s Hill, climbing the gigantic boulders in Devil’s Den, and tramping through the marshes of Plum Run. Enjoying the scenic beauty is just the beginning as to what Gettysburg has to offer. However, why is Gettysburg so important to us all as Americans? What made this small town so famous that tens of thousands of tourists from all over the globe come to walk through the many wheat fields in the surrounding countryside? While wandering those same fields that Union and Confederate soldiers fought on some one hundred and forty years ago, I asked myself why this place was so significant.

My interpretation of the battle of Gettysburg began forming two years ago when I visited the grounds that 51,000 men had died on. It was a hot summer day; I was tired, hungry, sick of walking, and was wondering if this very long field trip would ever end. The men that fought on this battle field felt the same way during the summer of 1863. From reading Killer Angels and The Pickett’s Charge Nobody Knows, I have a much better perception and understanding of what actually happened during the war. Before my readings, I thought there were the good guys who won and the bad guys who lost. I now understand on a deeper level what those men on both sides of the battle field were going through, and that they were men of God that were not only fighting for what they believed in but also for each other.

The first amendment is the most important part of the Constitution because it has been the most exercised right by U.S citizens. First amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Meaning, as citizens, the Constitution protects our freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition the government. This amendment is a good reflection of what America represents, equality for all.

In contemporary society, the use of visual images has increased, tapping into the mindset of many. Despite the influential impact of words, visual images are unique, in which images have the power to conceptualize the thoughts of an individual through the use of color, details, layout,etc. One primary example of a visual image is by political cartoonist, Nick Anderson, who created a satirical depiction of Liberal Presidential Delegate, Bernie Sanders. On a road to trying to win the Presidential Democratic Nominee, Sanders is illustrated in a fantasy-like dimension of rainbows and unicorns. Anderson scorns that in a nation with rising economical problems, the people are too dependent on the government and expect for magic to occur. In the hope of reaching out to Sanders supporters, Anderson’s

In Roger Scruton's Photography and Representation the author establishes the idea that ideal photography is not art. In the same breath he says that ideal photography is not necessarily an idea which photographers should strive, nor does it necessarily exist. Yet, he bases his argument upon the ideal. In reviewing his paper, I’ll take a look at why he painstakingly tries to make this distinction between ideal painting and ideal photography. His argument is based upon the proposition that photographs can only represent in a causal fashion, whereas painters create representational artwork via intentional relations. Scruton manages to create a solid argument, but in the end I’ll decide it is not a fair assumption to say that photographs

In “Ways of Seeing”, John Berger, an English art critic, argues that images are important for the present-day by saying, “No other kind of relic or text from the past can offer such direct testimony about the world which surrounded other people at other times. In this respect images are more precise and richer literature” (10). John Berger allowed others to see the true meaning behind certain art pieces in “Ways of Seeing”. Images and art show what people experienced in the past allowing others to see for themselves rather than be told how an event occurred. There are two images that represent the above claim, Arnold Eagle and David Robbins’ photo of a little boy in New York City, and Dorothea Lange’s image of a migratory family from Texas; both were taken during the Great Depression.

The name "Photography" comes from the Greek words for light and writing. Sir John Herschel, was the first to use the term photography in 1839, when he managed to fix images using hyposulphite of soda. He described photography as "The application of the chemical rays to the purpose of pictorial representation". Herschel also coined the terms "negative", "positive" and "snapshot".

There is clearly an artistic value to this image – it is taken at the location of a massacre of over 200 members of the Great Sioux Nation. However, did Elliot Erwitt intend a ‘deeper meaning’ for this photograph? In an interview recorded on his official website, Erwitt declares, “If it turns out to be entertaining what I do, I’m very pleased. But it’s not conscious.” It seems that Erwitt claims to not possess artistic intent in his photographs. However, it is clear that he simply boasts an unconscious artistic eye. It is obvious that the photograph of this church on hallowed ground falls in the ‘deeper meaning’ category.