Photographies

Photographies explores the many technologies, materials, and practices—in other words, the many “photographies”—that make up the history of photography from its origins in the late-eighteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. The exhibition is arranged around a series of questions: what is photography, how do photographs shape memory and identity, how do photographs circulate knowledge, and how do photographs become works of art?

Bruce Peel Special Collections offers rich resources for this exploration, allowing them to bring together well-known photographs with others that are unique, ordinary, or simply surprising.

Photographies was conceived as both an exhibition for photography enthusiasts and an Open Educational Resource (OER), and was partially funded by a University of Alberta OER award. The result is a digital exhibition that shares the holdings of Bruce Peel Special Collections with a wide audience while also offering a supplement to or replacement for traditional textbooks.

Contributed by Anya Montiel