work in progress
American Presidents and the History of Photography from the Daguerreotype to the Digital Revolution
Finnegan's current book project uses the U.S. presidency as a lens through which to study the history of photography. The project uses archival research and analysis of published texts and images to investigate how presidents participated in four moments of dramatic change in the production, reproduction, and circulation of photographs in public: the introduction of the daguerreotype in 1839, the rise of halftone in the 1880s, the emergence of 35-mm or "candid camera" photography in the 1920s, and the rise of social media during the digital photography revolution. She argues that a history of photography told through the lens of its most elite producer, subject, and consumer gives us powerful insight into how generations of Americans were taught by those in political power to understand photography’s role in public life. During 2015-16, research on the project was supported by an Arnold O. Beckman Award from the Campus Research Board and a Center for Advanced Study fellowship. During 2016-17, Finnegan held a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to continue her work on the project. Photo illustration by Cara Finnegan. Photo credits: Pete Souza, White House (inset); Cara Finnegan.
Finnegan's current book project uses the U.S. presidency as a lens through which to study the history of photography. The project uses archival research and analysis of published texts and images to investigate how presidents participated in four moments of dramatic change in the production, reproduction, and circulation of photographs in public: the introduction of the daguerreotype in 1839, the rise of halftone in the 1880s, the emergence of 35-mm or "candid camera" photography in the 1920s, and the rise of social media during the digital photography revolution. She argues that a history of photography told through the lens of its most elite producer, subject, and consumer gives us powerful insight into how generations of Americans were taught by those in political power to understand photography’s role in public life. During 2015-16, research on the project was supported by an Arnold O. Beckman Award from the Campus Research Board and a Center for Advanced Study fellowship. During 2016-17, Finnegan held a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to continue her work on the project. Photo illustration by Cara Finnegan. Photo credits: Pete Souza, White House (inset); Cara Finnegan.
