2.1 Anti-Semitism and Hitler
This unit explores the Holocaust, as the destruction of European Jewry is commonly known. The mass killing represented by the Holocaust raises many questions concerning the development of European civilisation during the twentieth century. This unit, therefore, covers essential ground if you wish to understand this development.
5.6.1 Young adults Look closely at Images 54 and 55. Can you identify the two features which distinguished a girl from a young woman in the Victorian and Edwardian period? 5.5.4 Confirmation You may find it difficult to read the verso text, so here it is for you. The handwriting reads: F.E. Field aged 15; Amynora Field aged 11. 5.5.3 Birthdays 5.5.2 Skirts and breeching Look carefully at Images 46, 47 and 48. 5.5.1 Christening The christening dress here identifies the occasion. In the normal course of events, Victorian couples would produce their 5.5 Rites of passage Most portraits, however, were taken to celebrate rites of passage, su 5.4 Special occasions Special occasions could include events of family, local or national significance. Those wealthy enough to attend important balls an 5.3 Prized possessions Prized possessions also feature in the family album. Family pets, cats and dogs were frequently taken to be photographed in the studio and often appear in portraits taken outside 5.2 Records of achievement The Victorian family album validated success. In keeping with the theme of idealization, our ancestors courted the camera to commemorate events 5.1 Capturing commemorative events This section explores the events commemorated in photographs. Begin by listing the occasions when we choose to use our cameras today. It might help to think back over the times when you have used your camera i 4.12 Key concepts We can conclude that the ideas relating to idealization, positive characterization and sexual stereotyping had a significant influence on the treatment of all 4 components of the portrait: expression, pose, background accessories and lighting. Victorian family photographs (like most other primary sources) are therefore selective, partial and biased. Early photographers regarded it as part of their proper function to emphasize those aspects that were considered at the time to be good and 4.11 Colouring The photographic print could also be ‘improved’ by the application of colour on the surface of the finished print. In the 1840s painters of mi 4.10 Retouching In addition to the efforts made before exposure to show sitters at their best, portrait photographers regularly retouched the negative to remove or improve any perceived defects or blemishes. Before the 1860s, in Britain retouching was generally criticized for interfering with the ‘truthfulness’ of the photographic image. By the mid-1860s, however, the issue became the subject of intense debate and discussion and the journals published details of the various techniques available at t 4.9.3 Limited characterisation The other function of lighting was, inevitably, to assist characterization. Since Robinson advised portrait photographers to show sitters as moderately calm ladies and gentlemen, the lighting in commercial work is usually quiet and uniform, without dramatic contrasts of light and shade. This was intended to suggest tranquillity, harmony and self-control, in keeping with the limited stereotypical characterization discussed previously. The use of lighting to convey dramatic characterizati 4.9.2 Idealisation Early photographers were adept at using natural lighting to idealise the sitter. Manuals of good practice were full of advice on adapting the lighting to soften wrinkles and wreathe blemishes in shadow. For ladies of a certain age, who often give the photographer a deal of trouble, it is advisable to employ a very soft light falling in front, which softens the wrinkles and protuberances of the face, and obliterates 4.9.1 Natural light Can you identify the source of light used to create this portrait? 4.8.3 Personal possessions Most accessories in studio portraits were supplied by the studio. However, it was not uncommon for sitters to introduce items that held a special significance for them, such as children's toys, competition trophies and awards gained in the course of a career. As we should by now expect, any personal items were intended to reflect credit on the sitter. If we can distinguish the routine studio accessory from the prized personal possession, we may be able to elicit a few more nuggets of in Idealisation If we look at the surprisingly small range of items commonly used as accessories we notice that they, too, confer prestige by association or continue the limited positive characterization. Children are often pictured with prestigious, manufactured toys. Do you remember Walter Eastwood's classy tricycle in Image 16? Boys hold whips or hoops suggestive of street games and the outside world; girls clutch dolls or baskets of flowers which evoke the domestic realm. The book probably appears Purpose By now you have sufficient familiarity with early portraits to know that photographers regularly used painted backdrops and accessories to create a sort of stage set within the studio. These backgrounds came into widespread use with the introduction of the carte de visite in c.1860. Until the Second World War, 2 scenarios remained popular: the interior setting with windows, curtains, table and chair; and the parkland setting with trees, balustrade, rustic bench or stile. This choice of backdr
Activity 20
Activity 19
Activity 18
