"The Merest Novice": The Snapshot, Gender, and the Museum, 1888-2008
Issue Date
2010-07-27Author
Collins, Perry M.
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
80 pages
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
M.A.
Discipline
American Studies
Rights
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This work explores the cultural role of the snapshot photograph and the evolution of its integration into the art museum. Situated at the interstices of art history, gender studies, and museum studies, the thesis considers how the perception of the snapshot as a "feminine" object developed over time and how this characterization has shaped the exhibition of this ubiquitous creative medium. The first chapter briefly lays out the history of the snapshot and its introduction as a mass medium, including ways early advertising and exhibitions struggled to define "kodakery" for multiple users. The second chapter further considers three snapshot exhibitions of the twentieth century and how each reveals ambivalence about snapshots' value and the agency of snapshooters. The third chapter considers two other exhibits of the past decade and how they recontextualize the snapshot, including both its past as a tangible, vernacular object and its digital future.
Collections
- American Studies Dissertations and Theses [52]
- Theses [3901]
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