When you think of photographs, what comes to mind? Probably family portraits, school pictures and endless shots of candles right before they are blown out. What you don't think about is the power a single photograph can have. Photographs can capture subtle emotions, dazzle with vivid landscapes and provide a window into the past. That is exactly what the "100 Years of Photography" exhibit at the University Art Museum accomplishes, and the pieces are incredibly moving.
The exhibit is located upstairs at the museum and will be rotating photographs from different time periods until May. Some photographs come from the museum's permanent holdings, others from the Special Collections Library and from private collections. Though the exhibit is small, it is diverse and interesting, featuring photos from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s.
There was a distinct lack of joy in many of the photos, which left me feeling somber as I paced the room. This observation is not meant as a criticism of the experience, but rather as a compliment. It's rare that a series of photographs has such a profound effect on me. One image I found particularly moving was "View in the field after the Battle of Antietam." Taken by an American named Alexander Gardner, the photograph shows a group of dead Civil War-era soldiers lying around a large fence near Antietam, MD. This haunting image captured the horrors of war in a simple and poetic way. As a history buff, I love learning about war, but no textbook can truly show you the death and despair caused by battle. The bleak image evoked a somber mood, but also left me with a new appreciation for life.
Another image I found strangely unnerving was "Close No. 157 Bridgegate," taken by Scottish photographer Thomas Annan in 1868. It is a simple black-and-white photograph of a run-down alley in Glasgow, Scotland. Annan captured a single person leaning out of a window on the second story of a building. It is a barren and lonely image, one which captures the hard economic times of 19th-century urban Scotland. To me, the photograph was a timeless snapshot of poverty. The buildings were grimy and unkempt and the ground filthy. It seemed Annan used the picture to express his sadness when looking at the living conditions of the Scottish lower classes. I found no joy in the image, and that was exactly the point.
But the exhibit also contained images, which conveyed a greater optimism. "Happy Days" by Gertrude Kasebier shows several children playing outside on a sunny day. The image hearkened back to a time of innocence, when the world wasn't such a complicated place and all you worried about was stepping on an angry bee. I found myself wondering about those kids, hoping they grew up to be successful and happy.
The way "100 Years of Photography" took me through a broad spectrum of emotions - from dejected melancholy to utopian joy - shows the power of photography, and it's for that reason you should check out the exhibit for yourself.
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