Synopsis
In the year that photography was introduced to the world, 1839, a cartoon in a French broadside portrayed a gallows for the draftsmen and engravers who would be put out of work by the new medium. This was only the beginning of a long tradition of humorously depicting photography, a practice now reviewed in Heinz and Bridget Henisch's book. "Positive Pleasures" explores the humorous commentary about photography that emerged in the medium's first 75 years, providing a panorama of photographic humor in its many aspects, both pictorial and literary. The Henisches present a wide range of examples found in cartoons, literature and such facets of popular culture as music, fashion and advertising. They also discuss examples of photo-humour in the political arena. Richly illustrated with more than 250 cartoons and photographs from international sources, the book takes readers behind the technical and commercial scences of a new medium.
It covers the period from photography's beginnings to the years following World War I when the popularization of miniature cameras redefined the world of photography - showing how, as the outward appearance of photographic paraphernalia changed, each new generation of cartoonists was provided with new challenges for their satirical skills. It also depicts photographers as humorists in their own right through examples of their amusing interpretations of reality. Viewed today, these cartoons and anecdotes shed light on photography's problems and pleasures as seen by society at large and prove that it is not necessary to be a photo-historian in order to appreciate photographic humour. "Positive Pleasures" establishes photo-humour as an important part of social and visual anthropology. It should also be of interest to those with an interest in social history or the 19th-century world, as it seeks to deepen our understanding of both photography's impact on society and the impact of fads and fashions on photography itself.
