Newsletter for Collectors - Vol 13.2

March 25, 2019

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Welcome

Welcome to another Luminous-Lint Newsletter.

Thanks for your support

The months fly by at dizzying speed and it is time for another Newsletter.

To all Luminous-Lint subscribers and contributors I'd like to say thanks for your continuing support.

All the best, Alan

Taking a few subjects apart on Luminous-Lint: Anthropology and Ethnology

First the terms:

Anthropology (from the Greek anthropos, "man", and -logia, "discourse" or "study") is the study of humanity.

Ethnology (from the Greek ethnos, meaning "people, nation, race") is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.

Interest in classification of botanical and zoological species was initiated in the middle of the eighteenth century by Carl Linnaeus and well established by the time photography was announced in 1839. The first widespread public discussion of evolutionary biology was published in 1859 with Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. The foundation of these rationalist approaches was that scientific measurement could be applied to anything and would reveal knowledge. Photography was applied, and misapplied, as a tool for establishing a typology for humanity.

Marcus Selmer, "Bride in national costume and with a bridal crown [Brud fra Birkeland]", 1855, Daguerreotype, University Museum of Bergen, Identifier: UIB-BM, www.daguerreobase.org, Daguerreotype: UBM-BY-05778d
LL/54534

Early classifications of humanity

Most of the early photographs of the peoples of the world were single portraits or small groups and it is only with the works of Charles Guillain Voyage a la Côte Orientale d'Afrique (1856), Lallemand and Hart Galerie Universelle des Peuples (1865) that we start to get books and portfolios that attempt to bring them together into series. We can certainly find many sets of daguerreotypes such as those of Thomas Easterly for Native Americans, carte de visites series of different occupations and races such as the Russians taken by William Carrick, J. Monstein and others.

It is with the peoples of the Indian Sub-continent that books showing the diversity of the population came to the fore. The book by William Johnson & William Henderson on The Oriental races and tribes, residents and visitors of Bombay (1863-1866) defined what it was attempting to achieve:

Photographic delineations of the numerous Peoples and Tribes frequenting -
'(This) Bombays wealthy isle and harbour fam'd;
Supine beneath the shade of cocoa groves' -
have long been desiderata both among the students of Geography and Ethnography, and the lovers of Art, notwithstanding partial attempts to supply them made by various local amateurs. The present endeavour to meet the wants of the public in this matter will, it is hoped, meet with indulgence and acceptance. The collection of Negatives procured for the present work was made with great labour, and in many instances with no little persuasion addressed to the scrupulous personages, whose effigies have been successfully delineated by the solar ray.

Johnson & Henderson, "Book cover for William Johnson & William Henderson, 1856, The Oriental races and tribes, residents and visitors of Bombay, A Series of Photographs, with Letter-press Descriptions, volume I, (Mumbai, India: Maharashtra)", 1856, Book cover, 26.0 x 18.0 cm, National Gallery of Australia, Purchased 2009, Accession No: NGA 2009.640.1-26
LL/73459
The multi-volume The People of India, edited by J. Forbes Watson & John William Kaye and published between 1868-1872, has the preface:

During the administration of Lord Canning, from 1856 to 1863, the interest which had been created in Europe by the remarkable development of the photographic Art, communicated itself to India, and originated the desire to turn it to account in the illustration of topography, architecture, and ethnology of that country.

There were none, perhaps, in whom this interest was awakened more strongly than in Lord and Lady Canning. It was their wish to carry home with them, at the end of their sojourn in India, a collection, obtained by private means, of photographic illustrations, which might recall to their memory the peculiarities of Indian life.

The great convulsion of 1857-58, while it necessarily retarded for a time all scientific and artistic operations, imparted a new interest to the country which had been the scene of, and to the people who had been the actors in these remarkable events. When, therefore, the pacification of India had been accomplished, the officers of the Indian services, who had made themselves acquainted with the principles and practice of photography, encouraged and patronized by the Governor-General, went forth, and traversed the land in search of interesting subjects.

In this way the design soon exceeded the dimensions of a mere private collection; but Lord Canning felt that its importance was sufficient to warrant official sanction and development, and, therefore, placed the matter in the hands of Mr. Clive Bayley, his home secretary. Some or the more important results appear in the present work.

The photographs were produced without any definite plan, according to local and personal circumstances, by different officers; and copies of each plate were sent home to the Secretary of State for India council.

After a time, it appeared that a sufficient number of illustrations had been received from various parts of India, fairly to represent the different varieties of the Indian races. The negatives remained in India; but from the plates sent home it was easy to produce fresh negatives, the prints of which might be multiplied to any extent. The Secretary of State in council sanctioned this operation, and the work was executed by Mr. W. Griggs, at the India museum, under the superintendence of Dr. Forbes Watson.

In many cases some descriptive account of the tribes represented accompanied the photographs sent from India. These varied greatly in amplitude and value. But on the whole it may be said that they were sufficient to constitute the basis of the sketches contributed by Mr. John R. Melville, Colonel Meadows Taylor, Mr Kaye, Dr Forbes Watson, and others. These sketches do not profess to be more than mere rough notes, suggestive rather than exhaustive, and they make no claim to aspire to scientific eminence, it is hoped that, in a ethnological point of view, it will not be without interest and value

Book cover for J. Forbes Watson & Hohn William Kaye (eds.), 1868-1875, The People of India, (London: India Museum / W.H. Allen & Co.), 1868-1875, Book cover, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département Société de Géographie, 4-SG BON F-1949 (1 RES), Identifier: ark:/12148/btv1b531215830
LL/87796
On Luminous-Lint there are over 1,400 photographs from the key studies of human populations from around the world from the earliest days of photography right through to the present.

Anthropometry

To assist in the classification of races all kinds of measurements were carried out on the body to create guidelines and norms for racial types. These were used as an aid to understanding but also to support racist arguments of cultural superiority which would lead on to eugenics and human zoos.

Maurice Vidal Portman, "Female Andamanese - Ilech, girl of the Ta-Yeri tribe; age about six years", 1890s, Photograph, British Museum, © The Trustees of the British Museum, AN652500001
LL/49890
Scientific expeditions had instructions on how to take appropriate photographs as this example from the Elder Scientific Exploring Expedition (1891-1892) in Australia stated:

Large-sized portraits of single individuals are much to be preferred to groups. It is desirable to have a standard of measurement, numbered in feet and inches, by which the aboriginal can stand when the portrait is being taken.

Photography was used to create typologies of "the other" and prove the superiority of those taking the measurements. The early photographs showing the range of occupations of a populace and the photographs bought back from expeditions had little standardization and as such they were of limited use to anthropologists and ethnographers - whilst they were useful as curiosities their scientific use was limited. Thomas Huxley proposed a series of "photometric instructions" to take photographs and collect measurements in a standard form to encourage comparisons.

The Ethnological Society, under the presidency of Professor Huxley, is making arrangements to take photographs of specimens of all races of men in all parts of the globe. Such photographs should be taken before a background, ruled off by plainly visible lines into spaces six inches square, so that all the pictures shall show the dimensions of the individual photographed, and be directly comparable. The "sitter" should stand upright, and be in contact with the background.

Huxley proposed that the Colonial Office of the British Empire should be involved in the collection of such information from natives around the Empire. Photographing natives in the nude for the benefit of science was objectionable for multiple reasons. Firstly it might be culturally inappropriate to those being photographed, and secondly in an age of Victorian prudery to request nudity was morally suspect.

Human Zoos

The Roman Triumphs of the ancient world displayed the inhabitants of conquered regions as symbols of the vanquished that could be used by the victors as subordinates, slaves or worse. The defeated were emblematic of inferior cultures that needed to be civilized by the superior and this approach has continued throughout human history.

The industrial might of the Western world during the Victorian Period was made manifest in physical form at the World's Fairs and International Exhibitions. At these popular shows the finest displays of manufacturing, science and civilization were shown to vast crowds. Along with the objects representatives of the peoples of the world were displayed along with tableaux showing their buildings or environment - these are now referred to as "human zoos". The phrase appears to be a new usage but it sums up what happened with people used as anthropological or folkloric props, social outsiders, who could be gawped at by an amazed public.

Editions Braun (publisher), "219 Group d'Indigenes" [Exposition Coloniale Internationale - Paris 1931], 1931, Postcard, Creative Commons - Wikipedia
LL/64419
The motivations for these displays may have been educational or commercial but they are deeply rooted in taxonomies of people, the perception of intelligence and colonial attitudes to those governed by external powers or their own racial elites.

The anthropological documentation of tasks

Luminous-Lint is short of examples documenting the tasks to create a single object or achieve a specific goal. In the Andaman Islands Maurice Vidal Portman in the 1890s documented in photographic sequences how a bow was made. In Japan Suzuki Shin'ichi 1 documented the processing of rice. The Library of Congress has an 1872 Turkestan Album (DK854.T87) showing "Ceremonies performed by Muslims during prayer" but these are rare examples.

If you have, or know about a series documenting a specific task I'd be most grateful. Many thanks, Alan

So who has been involved in Luminous-Lint to date?

Given the scale of Luminous-Lint it is difficult to remember all the names of those who have helped in ways both large and small. Having said that one should always try so I‘ve added an "Acknowledgements" page to get the ball rolling. As you go through it you will get a sense of the truly international scope of this project.

My gratitude to you all for subscribing to, and supporting, Luminous-Lint.

Free Trial of Luminous-Lint

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If you need any assistance with curriculum planning or resources to supplement your courses send me an email.

Getting around

Stereographs Project

Library

Video feeds, audio feeds, and enhanced media documents

Welcome

Thanks for your support

Taking a few subjects apart on Luminous-Lint: Anthropology and Ethnology

Early classifications of humanity

Anthropometry

Human Zoos

The anthropological documentation of tasks

So who has been involved in Luminous-Lint to date?

Free Trial of Luminous-Lint

Educational subscriptions

Recently updated Themes

Getting around

PhotographersConnectionsDirectory

Stereographs Project

Library

Video feeds, audio feeds, and enhanced media documents

Welcome

Thanks for your support

Taking a few subjects apart on Luminous-Lint: Anthropology and Ethnology

Early classifications of humanity

Anthropometry

Human Zoos

The anthropological documentation of tasks

So who has been involved in Luminous-Lint to date?

Free Trial of Luminous-Lint

Educational subscriptions

Recently updated Themes