Figure 1.-- An Italian conrtibutor writes, "Really people in late-19th were very interested in ethnographic photos. In Italy something similar happened even domestivally. Italy in 1861 achieved political unificatiin. The South, more poor, was seen as 'another world'. Naples was the larger Italian city and it attracted considerable attention. Several photo taken at the time are similar to the ethographic photos we see from Asia and Africa. This photo was taken about 1880 by Robert Rive. He was a French photographer living in Naples. It depicts a large fisherman's family.

The most interesting topic here is the countries and cultures that were the subject of ethographic interest. Another interesting topic, however, is the countries that were interested in these ethnographic images. This wax primarily the najor European countries, especially those involved in the colonial enterprise. This is a little difficult to assess It is fairly easy to roughly assess who was being painted or photographed. It is more difficult to assess who was creating and purchasing these images, at least in the 19th century. This changed with the 20th century when the primary medium for ethnographic photography became the photo postcard. And here the country where they were produced and sent can often be determined. Britain of course had the largest colonial empire. We are not sure, however, that Britain was the major participant in ethnographic imagery. The Jewel of the Crown was India, but India does not seen to have been the major focus of ethnographic imagery. This was the Middle East, but we note that English artists were not some of tha most important practioners. In fact some of the most important practioners of ethngraphic photography in Egypt were other Europeans. The French seem especially interested in ethongraphic imagery, many of the most important artists and photographers were French (19th century). At first there a was a soecual interest in the Middle flowing from Orientalism. Here the Boafils were especially important. And in the 20th century we see large numbers of ethnographic photo postcards from Sub-Shaharan Africa. Italy was a newly united country which had trouble establishing even a small empire. The Italians were even deafted by the Ethiopians (1894). A real interest at the time of unfication (1860s) was on the almost fedual southern Italy. Several ethographic photographers worked in Italy, including Giuseppe Bruno, Wilhelm von Gloeden, Carlo Nava, Robert Rive. It seems like northern Italians looked on the south like much of Europe looked on Asia and Africa. Germany was like Italy only recently united (1870s) and a late participant in the colonial process, but acquired colonies in Africa and Oceania. Many Germans thought it was an empire not in keeping with their country's power and dignity. After the turn of the 20th dentury, we do see some German ethnographic postcards from its African colonies which iy lost as a result of World War I. The United States did not have a sizeable colonial empire. And what it did have (mainly the Philippines ) inspired little interest. The primary interest was in Native Americans. George Catlin (1797-1872) -was the most important artist. Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) was the most important photograoher. Although sometimes forgotton was that Russia had a large colnial empire consisting of large areas of Asia, some of which bordered on the Middle East. As far as we can tell, there was little Russian ethnographic interest in these areas.

Created: 7:38 PM 8/2/2020
Last updated: 7:38 PM 8/2/2020