Exploring Early Photography: An Insight into 'The New Art' at The Met's Exhibition, 'American Photography, 1839-1910'
In the heart of New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's latest exhibit, 'The New Art: American Photography, 1839-1910,' offers a captivating journey through the evolution of early American photography. This exhibition, on view through Sunday, July 20th, 2025, showcases the transition from complex and expensive methods like daguerreotypes and ambrotypes to simpler and more affordable techniques like tintypes.
Photography was introduced in America in 1839 and quickly gained popularity, with the daguerreotype being the first type highlighted in the exhibit. This process, developed by Louis Daguerre, captured an image on a silvered copper plate, producing highly detailed, one-of-a-kind pictures with a mirror-like surface. However, the daguerreotype was initially expensive and prone to damage due to its reflective and dull nature.
As the daguerreotype gained popularity, newer photographic processes emerged, making photography more accessible. The mid-1840s to 1850s saw the emergence of ambrotypes and tintypes. Ambrotypes involved creating a positive image on a glass plate using the wet collodion process, and tintypes used a thin sheet of iron coated with a photographic emulsion. Both methods were less expensive and less fragile than daguerreotypes but still offered sharp images.
Tintypes, developed in the 1850s, became especially popular for being affordable and easy to produce quickly, making photography more accessible to the masses, including traveling portrait studios and common people. The exhibit features numerous examples of tintypes, providing insight into the lives of people during this period, as they show people smiling, hugging, and posing in various ways.
The Antebellum era, characterized by towns filled with flashy signboards, pamphlets, and newspapers, was a time when American culture was heavily focused on vision and perception. This is evident in the exhibit, which showcases photographs of young children who have passed away, their tiny, sleeping bodies appearing almost angelic and perfect.
The exhibit also demonstrates how photography started out as a method of documentation, but soon became a significant part of many modern art movements. By 1910, photography had transitioned from a technological curiosity to a major cultural and artistic force in America. The exhibit reveals a broad and varied history, highlighting both celebrated masters like Josiah Johnson Hawes and lesser-known practitioners, demonstrating photography's role in reflecting social and technological changes in the United States.
The exhibit features one of the earliest cameras, used to produce ambrotypes, which consists of a large wooden box with a rudimentary camera lens and a piece of glass. This exhibit is a testament to the rapid technological innovation and cultural transformation that early American photography underwent from 1839 to 1910.
[1] The Metropolitan Museum of Art's website [2] The Smithsonian National Museum of American History's website [3] The National Portrait Gallery's website [4] The Library of Congress's website [5] The J. Paul Getty Museum's website
[6] These online resources offer extensive news and information about the latest developments in the world of photography, showcasing both historical and contemporary works.
[7] Lifestyle magazines, such as Vogue and National Geographic, often feature articles on fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, and home-and-garden topics, using captivating photography to enhance their content.
[8] A deeper understanding of American history can be gained through researching the role of photography in capturing key historical moments and events, from the Civil War to the rise of immigration in the early 20th century.
[9] Relationships can be explored through the eternal question: 'What does love look like?' and the exhibit provides a snapshot of various expressions of love throughout history, as captured in tintype photographs.
[10] The pet industry has grown exponentially, and now includes photographer-artists who specialize in capturing the unique personalities and distinctive features of pets. Pets have become an integral part of our lives, much like early photography filling a gap in people's lives.
[11] As we travel the world, capturing moments through our lenses, we cannot help but marvel at the rich diversity of cultures and landscapes. Travels broaden our horizons and open our minds, much like the evolution of photography in America.
[12] Football, both American and association football, has remained an important aspect of sports and culture, with numerous documentaries, articles, and photographs dedicating to its history, stars, and analysis. Moreover, sports-betting and sports-analysis websites frequently employ the use of compelling photography to engage their audience.
