Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography

(Note: Introduction is taken from uncorrected proofs. Changes may be made prior to publication.)

Creating, in one useful, comprehensive publication, an encyclopedia of the history and practice of photography in the twentieth century is a daunting task. In any endeavor, the doing of it often best teaches how it should be done; and not only does the doing perfect the process, it refines the understanding of the subject of the endeavor, and focuses the content to be more authoritative. Such is the case, certainly, with the current project.

The ambition of this project was to provide a useful resource of the entire scope of photography in the twentieth century. It was neither to be a definitive technical manual nor a compendium limited to the field's aesthetic achievements, but something more. The aim was to create an encyclopedia that would serve as a resource and a tool for a wide readership of students, researchers, and anyone interested in a scholarly discussion of photography history.

In this we believe it succeeds. The encyclopedia introduces the reader to the history of technical issues that have changed over a hundred-year period. It explains the contributions of photographers and situates their contribution within the history of photography. It defines the concepts, terms, and themes that have evolved over a century. It describes the role of institutions and publications in the shaping of that history. Importantly, the encyclopedia also explains the development of the medium in specific countries and regions around the world-offering a global understanding and a more local perspective of photography history.

This is the main purpose of the encyclopedia, to define the broad outlines and fill in the intimate details of twentieth century photography. The user will find the large and small of twentieth-century photography. The project gathers information on the most often cited names, terms, concepts, processes, and countries, and it also gives ample attention to those most overlooked. Significantly, it provides the historical and theoretical contexts for understanding each entry so the expanse of photography history in both its distinct and its partial developments is maintained throughout.

As a resource, the encyclopedia supplies the reader with tools for finding information. Extensive cross-referencing allows the reader insight into the various directions a topic or individual entry may lead: historical, theoretical, or technical. A glossary of terms directs the reader to definitions, describes processes as they were standardized at the end of the century, and gives technical information on photographic terminology, equipment, and accessories. In addition to an alphabetical listing of articles, the articles are also listed by subject to help orient the reader. Subjects are straight forward: equipment; institutions, galleries, and collections; persons; publications and publishers; regions; topics and terms. Each article is signed by the contributing scholar and readers can find a list of contributors in the front matter of volume one. Scholarly references are included at the end of each article so that the interested individual may explore the topic further in more detailed publications. Over 200 illustrations and glossy inserts in each volume will aid the reader's understanding of the articles, but the illustrations are not intended to be strength of encyclopedia. This is a work of scholarship, a book intended to be read rather than viewed-we point the readers to resources that contain the thousands of photographs that constitute twentieth-century photography. Finally, the analytical index at the end of the third volume serves as a critical tool that systematically guides the reader through the contents of the three volumes in their entirety. The index directs the reader to discussions of sought for information but also allows the reader to explore the contents and discover related items of interest.

While it is hoped that the professional will find the publication as useful as someone approaching photography for the first time, the publication was not intended to take the place of the many fine monographs, textbooks, exhibition catalogues, and websites published for the professional audience that have proliferated in the field at the end of the century. It might be considered a port of entry to the world of twentieth-century photography and photography scholarship.

When this project was conceived, the twentieth century was in its final decade, yet it was not then clear that the arbitrary demarcation of the century as regards photography would be an actual marker as well. The astonishingly rapid rise of digital technologies during the 1990s distinguishes the shape of the medium in the twentieth century in a real way, just as the introduction in 1898 of the mass-use Brownie camera and all its attendant technologies forever wrenched the medium from its 19th century essence as the domain of the dedicated enthusiast, whether professional or amateur. The democratization of the medium certainly seemed to be the main story being told at mid-century, and it may indeed, at further remove, be the overarching feature of the twentieth century. For ironically the digital revolution offers at the same time more and less access-more if one has electricity, a digital camera, and a computer, less if one does not, and many, at the beginning of the 21st century, certainly do not. Yet whatever the digital revolution may hold, it seems clear that the obsolescence of the standard photo-chemical processes and the widespread access to the medium they undoubtedly provided will define photography in the new century. Already, in 2005, photo-chemical films and papers have been discontinued or are no longer distributed in the United States; traditional processing labs are vanishing, and items that stocked the traditional darkroom are becoming collectibles, if not landfill.

The Encyclopedia had the benefit of the knowledge provided by distinguished Advisory Board and these individuals freely provided their expertise and advise. The process of selecting the topics and photographers, like anything else, reflects a degree of subjectivity. Yet this subjectivity was tempered by the broad range of experience represented by the Board. Topics were selected to provide snapshots of the entirety of the field utilizing established genres-'fashion photography' or 'documentary photography,' or obvious entities-'camera' or 'Museum of Modern Art.' Entries on individuals were more winnowed out than selected. The towering figures are obvious: they fill bookshelves and auction catalogues. But other, less known figures of regional importance or who were photographic innovators were also deemed important to record, and their selection rested on judgment and to some extent, intuition. The attempt was also to broaden the scope from the United States and Europe, with its long history of photography, to an international one, both in topic discussions and selection of photographers. It goes without saying many, many other serious, important practitioners of photography and photographic topics and institutions could have been included, yet for the purposes of this publication, we limited the number of entries to 525.

Finally, as tempting as it might have been for the many fine art historians, critics, and writers who authored these essays (and I thank them deeply for their efforts) to come up with original interpretations of photographers' contributions or innovative theoretical stances, the Encyclopedia was not intended as an opportunity for scholarship in the form of new interpretations of established figures or revisionary accounts of past historical movements.

Conventions and features
The Encyclopedia is of course arranged alphabetically; spellings of names reflect most common usage at the end of the century and attempt to use proper diacritical marks in languages which require them. The use of monikers as opposed to given names, i.e. "Weegee" as opposed to Arthur Fellig, or "Madame D'Ora" as opposed to Dora Kallmus is also based on most common usage and such "noms-de-photographie" are arranged in the appropriate alphabetical order, with given names included in the entry.

In reference materials, names of institutions are generally given as to the full, proper name at the time of the citation. Thus prior to 1972, it is the George Eastman House; from 1972 onward, the International Museum of Photography and Film, George Eastman House. For the most part, institution names are given in the original language to alleviate confusion about proper translation and ease further research, thus rather than the National Library of France, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and so on.

All entries feature bibliographies or further reading lists. Topics on individuals feature a Capsule Biography for quick reference and a list of Selected Works. Photographers in addition receive a listing of selected solo and group exhibitions, with as complete information as is available detailing those exhibitions. Websites are occasionally given for governmental agencies, established institutions, especially museums, as well as some foundations or individual archives. Private websites were generally avoided both to avoid endorsement and the fact that many such websites fail to be maintained over the course of time.

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Although I am a curator of contemporary art, my first love was for photography. I studied it in school and practiced it as a student, taught by photographers who themselves turned out to be 'towering figures.' As a curator I have organized a number of photography exhibitions, and overseen the collecting of contemporary photography. Yet I am hardly the foremost expert in the field, and thus was truly honored to have been asked to edit this important publication. I hope that my efforts have been equal to expectations.

Lynne Warren
Chicago, Illinois