The Documentary Tradition Part I

Photographs are often categorized into different genres: documentary, fine art, and commercial (to name just a few). What makes a photograph a document? What is the difference between a document and piece of art work? Can a document be a piece of artwork? What is the relationship between the document and the idea of truth? Can a photograph really be truthful? When we evaluate photographs, it can be helpful to ask ourselves the following questions:

• Who took the photograph?
• Why and for whom was the photograph taken?
• How was the photograph taken?
• Does the series or full portfolio explain more than a single print?

The Oxford Encyclopedia of photography defines documentary: "In the broadest sense, all photography not intended purely as a means of artistic expression might be considered ‘documentary’, the photograph a visual document of an event, place, object, or person, providing evidence of a moment in time...Yet the term ‘documentary photography’ has a more specific meaning. The Life Library's Documentary Photography (1972) defined it as ‘a depiction of the real world by a photographer whose intent is to communicate something of importance—to make a comment—that will be understood by the viewer."

We will keep this definition in mind as we look at some early documentary projects. Would you call these photographers Documentarians?

Eugene Atget



Eugene Atget, Lampshade Merchant 1899-1900

Atget captured over 10,000 views of Paris with his large, wooden, glass-plate camera. His aim was to capture views of the old city of Paris, a city disappearing to modernism. He strived to make photographs of both Paris' architectural details and colorful residents. Although hailed first by the Surrealists as a master artist and later by the MoMA Photo Director, John Szarkowski, as a photographic genius, Atget, himself, was a business man and a loyal Parisian who merely mourned the city's transformation.

Edward Curtis



Edward S. Curtis circa 1910

Curtis' work concentrated on the American Indian population. Over the course of his career, he exposed over 40,000 negatives and printed over 2,200 pictures. Although he initially published his books because her wanted to document the dying Native American culture, some argue that his Pictorialist tendencies and romantic view on Native life clouds his vision of Native people, and instead, merely reiterates the stereotype of the romantic, untamed Indian. Needless to say, this series is extremely controversial. Still, many photographers admire Curtis' strong style and commitment to his subject-matter.

Jacob Riis



Jacob Riis Bandit's Roost, 59-1/2 Mulberry Street, 1888 

Riis, originally from Holland, immigrated to the United States in 1870. He worked for three years as a laborer and lived in the tenements in Manhattan's Lower East Side before he became a photo journalist and documented the urban poor. He spent years photographing the poor living conditions on the Lower East side, an unpopular subject at the time, and eventually he published a book titled "How the Other Half Lives." Some people argue that his photographs helped influence legalization and changed laws regarding housing conditions. Other people take issue with his photographs because they cater to the rich and privileged and exploit the poor.

Lewis Hine



Hine originally trained as a sociologist in Chicago, Illinois. Once he moved to New York, he taught sociology in many area schools. Initially, his interest in photography grew out of his interest in sociology. He first picked up the camera in order to better study the immigrant groups on Ellis Island. Later, he began to document child laborers; he worked tirelessly to protect the children and reform labor laws. He quickly gained recognition as a photographer as well as a sociologist.

Below Please find useful websites on early documentary photography:
Metropolitan Museum of Documentary Photography