Mechanical Reproduction: The Photograph and the Child in the Crisis and The Brownies’ Book

Taylor, Julie (2020) Mechanical Reproduction: The Photograph and the Child in the Crisis and The Brownies’ Book. Journal of American Studies, 54 (4). pp. 737-774. ISSN 0021-8758

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0021875819000045

Abstract

This article considers the photographic portraits of children reprinted in the Crisis’s “Children’s Numbers” and The Brownies’ Book. While the magazines use these images to further their uplift agenda, they also present a sophisticated commentary on the photographic form. The publications present an understanding of the camera as an instrument for interpreting and shaping reality rather than a truth-telling device. By suggesting parallels between the photographic image and the idea of the child, and exposing the conventions and distortions that produce both, the magazines challenge claims of authenticity and transparency which had helped to naturalise the oppression of black people.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: W600 Cinematics and Photography
Department: Faculties > Arts, Design and Social Sciences > Humanities
Depositing User: Becky Skoyles
Date Deposited: 27 Sep 2018 13:39
Last Modified: 31 Jul 2021 12:47
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/35927

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