Paper Proposal

Paper Proposal
Photography in the 1930s: The Great Depression Through the Camera Lens

Problem Statement

The issue that I would like to explore in my paper this semester is the use of photography in the 1930s to capture the spirit and emotions of the Great Depression. During the 1930s, photography as a medium of journalism, artistic expression, and archiving changed dramatically with the attitudes and outlook that accompanied the Great Depression and coincided with the continual rise of Modernism in areas such as literature, film, and art.
It is difficult to determine if this change and progression in the field of photography was a result of the attitudes of the Great Depression or if the photography that began to infiltrate the media perpetuated and enhanced the emotions that were expressed and experienced during this difficult and trying decade. New technological advancements during this time period also contributed to the ability for photographers to practice their craft in innovative and ground-breaking ways. The cause and effect of the innovations in taking photographs on the kinds of images that were captured in this decade is also an interesting situation to investigate.

Current Situation

Photography during the 1930s and the era of the Great Depression underwent a transition as a medium for stiff portraits to a means of capturing the emotions of the people in the photographs. Photographic journalism experienced a surge, but people also began to realize the potential for photographs to evoke emotions in their intended audience. It was at this time that photography began to become a way for people to raise awareness about certain issues—it began to have a role in certain branches of activism.
Some of the more modern ideas that we associate with photography originated during this time period. The practice of seeing photography as more of an art form as opposed to an objective and almost scientific application was greatly explored during this decade. As a new medium, photography had assumed an identity as an objective medium—at least more objective than more easily-manipulated and interpretable fields such as painting and drawing. As people began using photography as a way to draw emotions out of viewers, this view of photography as an objective medium slowly began to disappear. People became slightly more aware that photography could be used to different things, such as emotional manipulation and even propaganda. Despite this slight change in perspective, most people would consider a photograph to be more objective than any other medium—a belief that exists even today, despite the invention of image manipulating software.

Solving the Problem

There are certain iconic photographs that emerged from the 1930s, and I intend to take a closer look at these images and discuss their impact on society during this time as well as the field of photography as a whole. The different styles that emerged during this time period are also important in discussing the issue of how photography continued to evolve and develop and must also be discussed throughout the paper.
It is impossible to discuss photography and the leaps that the art form made in the 1930s without focusing on photographer Dorothea Lang, whose works have become iconic and a recognizable representation of the Great Depression. During her trip around the country and to California, she captured some of the most remarkable images from people living in the Great Depression. The impact of her photographs was so great that they are still centrally discussed and greatly relevant in conversations about modern photography today.
In investigating the photography of the 1930s, one must also mention Ansel Adams. His photography leading up to the 1930s and extending beyond that decade also helped to reshape the idea of photography as an art form and a means of promoting activism—in his case, the defense of nature and environmental preservation. He is still one of the most famous modern American photographers, and his style is easily recognizable. He has written many books about photography and is a well-respected authority, even posthumously. His landscape photographs and unusual compositions also helped to transition photography from the stiff portrait and business-like applications to an art and means of expression.
In addition to pioneering photographers and changes in style, the technological advancements must also be researched and explored in such a discussion. The rise of Modernism as a movement in American also impacted the kind of photographic revolution experienced in the 1930s. The attitudes that infiltrated the decade of the Depression were reflected in the arts, literature, film, photography, as well as in the mindset people carried with them in their daily lives, and the impact that these attitudes had on photography specifically is something that will have to be explored throughout this research paper.