The announcement of the invention of photography in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
in Paris, and William Henry Fox Talbot in London, generated interest in the possibilities of this new technology as well as discussion of its merits, potential, and applications. The first half-century of British photography charts the journey of a new medium with distinct expressive and artistic potentials. Photography served as an aid to science and exploration but also captured aspects of British society in ways that are poetic and artistic. Some photographers demonstrated an interest in social reform while others revealed sentimental notions of the island’s remote past. By the end of the century, advances in camera speeds and printing techniques facilitated landscape photography and other picturesque Victorian scenes. UMMA docents will introduce the trajectory of Victorian photography on display in this exhibition.