Makeda Best on the Origins of Social Reform Photography in America
Channel: Barnes Foundation
Date: 2019-06-27

Civilization’s Mission - The Civil War and the Transatlantic Origins of Social Reform Photography in America.

Complementing our spring 2019 exhibition of early photography in Britain and France, Makeda Best, Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography at Harvard Art Museums, explores the medium’s beginnings in the US. Focusing on social reform photography in the Civil War era, Best will discuss how photographers grappled with the meaning of democracy and the social impact of industrialization. She will also consider the transatlantic dialogues that shaped the medium at this time.