The history of portraits
The history of portraits
February 7, 2019
Robert Capa, [Robert Capa photographing John Steinbeck through a mirror, Moscow, USSR], August–September 1947. International Center of Photography, The Robert and Cornell Capa Archive (2010.91.516)
© International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos
From nineteenth-century daguerreotypes to twenty-first-century selfies, portraiture has dominated the medium of photography. Drawn from ICP’s collection, this exhibition surveys the nuanced ways people present themselves for the camera, how and by whom they are represented, and who is deemed worthy of commemoration.
This selection includes studio portraits, snapshots, and documentary photographs. From a deathbed daguerreotype by Southworth & Hawes and a cart-de-visite featuring Sojourner Truth holding her knitting to Samuel Fosso’s performative self-portraits and FBI wanted posters, every portrait serves a different purpose. Each one offers the opportunity to investigate the ways photography shapes our ideas about ourselves and others.
Please find more information at International Center of Photography (ICP)
Robert Capa, [Robert Capa photographing John Steinbeck through a mirror, Moscow, USSR], August–September 1947. International Center of Photography, The Robert and Cornell Capa Archive (2010.91.516)
© International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos
Sheng Qi, Memories (Mao), 2000. International Center of Photography, Purchase, with funds provided by Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz, 2004 (8.2004)
© Sheng Qi
Samuel Fosso, Self Portrait, 1977. International Center of Photography, Purchase, with funds provided by the ICP Aquisitions Committee, 2004 (19.2004)
© Samuel Fosso, Courtesy JM Patras/Paris