In this Book
- Nature Exposed: Photography as Eyewitness in Victorian Science
- Book
- 2013
- Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
summary
In Nature Exposed, Jennifer Tucker studies the intersecting trajectories of photography and modern science in late Victorian Britain. She examines the role of photograph as witness in scientific investigation and explores the interplay between photography and scientific authority. Almost immediately after the invention of photography in 1839, photographs were characterized as offering objective access to reality—unmediated by human agency, political ties, or philosophy. This mechanical objectivity supposedly eliminated judgment and interpretation in reporting and picturing scientific results. But photography is a labor-intensive process that allows for, and sometimes requires, manipulation. In the late nineteenth century, the nature of this new technology sparked a complex debate about scientific practices and the value of the photographic images in the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge. Recovering the controversies and commentary surrounding the early creation of scientific photography and drawing on a wide range of new sources and critical theories, Tucker establishes a greater understanding of the rich visual culture of Victorian science and alternative forms of knowledge, including psychical research.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Acknowledgments
- pp. vii-xii
- Introduction
- pp. 1-16
- 3. Acquiring a Scientific Eye
- pp. 126-158
- 4. Photography of the Invisible
- pp. 159-193
- 5. Photographic Evidence and Mass Culture
- pp. 194-233
- Essay on Sources
- pp. 273-284
Additional Information
ISBN
9781421413211
Related ISBN(s)
9780801879913, 9781421410937
MARC Record
OCLC
855524855
Pages
312
Launched on MUSE
2014-01-07
Language
English
Open Access
No