On Photographs

by Cliopatria

Historians (and historians in training) need to go, immediately, and read the parts one and two (out of three) of Errol Morris' series on the"historical truth" behind two photographs taken by Roger Fenton during the Crimean War : Which Came First? the Chicken or the Egg? (Part One), Which Came First? (Part Two).

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Manan Ahmed - 10/8/2007

The digital manipulation surely casts a heavy gloom. If you remember to last summer's Reuters/Beirut brusadsad....

Marie E Hooper - 10/7/2007

I'm linking the photos and the discussion to my Historiography class blog and we'll discuss it this next week. It's an excellent opportunity to discuss the use/abuse of photography and its interpretation. The flexibilty of Photoshop is going to create new problems for historians, and such issues are important for historians and students. Of course that raises the questions: who will make such issues a matter of concern in public education?

Rachel Leow - 10/6/2007

thanks for this, manan -- it's fascinating, and, I feel, the rawest impulse behind writing history, which academia sometimes lets us forget.