Final Blog Post: Photographic Manipulation & Fakery

     Photography since its earliest beginnings has been considered to be an accurate depiction of events as they were when the photo was taken.  Most people believe that Photoshop is where the innate “truthfulness”  of photographs began suffering the most deleterious assault on this aspect.  This is not true because throughout the history of photographic techniques from the earliest days, there has been manipulation aka fakery through various techniques.

     Like the author of Faking It, I will be focusing mostly on manipulation techniques where “the final image is not identical to what the camera “saw” in the instant the negative was exposed.” (Fineman, 2012) Photographs were manipulated either while in the camera or during postproduction.  It is through the use of multiple exposures that photos are manipulated while in the camera.  During postproduction, the image can be manipulated by the use of combination printing, photo montage, overpainting or retouching the negative or print.  It is also possible to combine any or all of these techniques together when manipulating the image.

     Each of these techniques has been used during history from the enhancing of an image to creating images for propaganda in all its guises.  In addition, these techniques were used to insert missing details into a photograph or to delete from a photograph unnecessary or unwanted details in order to improve the image or to project a desired message.

     Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre, who invented the daguerreotype, was disappointed with the inability of his technique to capture the color in the images as well as the detail.  The tinting of daguerreotypes began with “Antoine Francois Claudet, the first to buy a direct license from Daguerre”. (Henisch & Henisch, 1996)  Claudet felt it was impossible to achieve color in any other way.  These images were not accepted by artists as paintings or by photographers as photographs.  At this time, it was not easy to locate directions on how to apply color to daguerreotypes.  Claudet had an unpatented process, which used very fine powders and wine.  He described how to apply the color and the need to have artistic knowledge.  In addition, in 1852 Robert J. Bingham in The Photographic Art Journal when commenting on colored daguerreotypes said “... The general fault with the amateurs is that they use too much color - but, unless in very skillful hands, we think a colored daguerreotype is a spoilt one:  it is something analogous to painting a fine engraving.” (Henisch & Henisch, 1996)

     As photographic images migrated to different types of support, alternate ways of adding color and/or detail had to be invented.  The supports included ambrotypes, salt prints, albumen prints and gelatin silver prints.  Besides the continuation of hand tinting, the introduction of color crayons and of charcoal were used to add color or to add enhancements to an image.  As with the daguerreotypes, it was important for photographic studios to be skilled in overpainting when enhancing images using these techniques.

     Tintypes, lacking the quality of having major contrasts between tones and combined with its surface hardness, make it unsuitable for the use of watercolors to tint the image.  Because of its rigidity, oil paints were used to add the desired colors.  In addition, this technique usually eliminated the original details of the image, while allowing the artist to add the patron’s requested details or ones they personally thought might enhance it.

     When it comes to multiple exposures, the most widely known use would be the creation of spirit photographs.  These photos are of people sitting for a photograph and an image of a deceased loved one appears to be contained within a field of ectoplasmic energy, which does not appear until the negative is printed.  Most of these images seem to be copies of photographs of the deceased and placed there through the use of multiple exposures for each spirit.  On the other hand, multiple exposures could be used to create several images of the same individual in a single photograph.  This technique was used by Georges Melies to create his own one minute film entitled “L’Homme orchestre”, where he portrays all seven members of the band.

     One of the earliest examples, if not the first, of retouching a negative is demonstrated by the photograph taken by Calvert Richard Jones of Capuchin Friars in Valetta, Malta in 1846.  In the printed image there are four monks, but looking at the negative one sees a fifth figure in the background, who was blotted out through the use of India ink on the negative.  Other examples of this come from the world of politics, where people who fell out of favor with Stalin were excised from photographs by various means or the removal from a photograph of Joseph Goebbels of Hitler visiting the Riefenstahls in order to “possibly combat the rumors that Goebbels and Leni Riefenstahl were having an affair”. (Fineman, 2012)  A final example of retouching a negative is demonstrated by the photograph by Charles Negre of a chandelier, where he painted the flames on the negative.

     Combination printing is the use of several negatives to create a single image.  This was used early on by photographers to create images that contained the land or sea in combination with the sky.  This was necessary because the time needed to create a clear image of each aspect varied enough so the other aspect looked washed out.  Examples of this include “Sherman and His Generals” by Matthew Brady and George N. Barnard (2 negatives), “Fading Away” by Henry Peach Robinson (5 negatives) and Cloister of Saint-Trophime, Arles by Edouard Baldus (12 negatives).  Additional reasons for using multiple negatives are missing people that need to be added in, as was the case with the above Brady and Barnard photo, and the inability to render details clearly in a single exposure, as in the other two examples.

     The final type of manipulation is photomontage, which in its simplest terms is defined as “rephotographed collage containing photographic elements.” (Fineman, 2012)  An early example of this is “Aberdeen Portraits, No. 1” by George Washington Wilson which is considered the first photomontage.  This completed photomontage was comprised of 101 separate images from earlier photographs.  In a few years, on what he termed a carte mosaique Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi created a montage of the “325 members of the imperial court of Napolean III”. (Fineman, 2012)  This technique was still being used when the photomontage by Howard S. Redell of a “Woman in a Champagne Glass” was created for an advertising campaign circa 1930.

     One of my favorite images from Faking It is by Camille Silvy entitled “Twilight” from 1859-1860.  It uses two of the above techniques.  The first of which is combination printing because it is composed of at least four negatives.  The second is the use of retouching the image by painting the shadows on the wet pavement and the flame in the streetlamp.

     A final note on fakery is when photographs are taken and believed to be authentic, but are eventually proven to be a hoax.  A prime example of this are the Cottingley fairy photographs, which were taken in 1917 by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffith, who in their later years admitted it was a hoax.  One of the amusing aspects of the hoax is that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was into spiritualism at the time, was actually fooled by the photographs.  This hoax eventually turned into the idea behind one of my favorite books entitled Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book.

     With a bit of detective work, one has the ability to learn how to determine what photographs have been manipulated and what forms of fakery have gone into the creation of the image.  This is going to become ever more difficult to accomplish as more and more photographs are digitally created and manipulated using programs such as Photoshop.  As long as archives accept photographic collections, the above skills will remain necessary.  The manual skills that were necessary in the past to manipulate negatives and photographs in combination with basic photography skills have migrated to the digital world.

References

1. Fineman, M. (2012). Faking it: Manipulated photography before photoshop. New York City, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
2. Henisch, H. K. & Henisch, B. A. (1996). The painted photograph 1839-1914: Origins, techniques, aspirations. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press.

Sources

1. Brugioni, D. A. (1999). Photo fakery: The history and techniques of photographic deception and manipulation. Dulles, VA: Brussey’s.
2. Fraprie, F. R. & O’Connor, F. C. (1937). Photographic amusements: Including tricks and unusual or novel effects obtainable with the camera. Boston, MA: American Photographic Publishing Co.
3. Permutt, C. (1988). Photographing the spirit world: Images from beyond the spectrum. Chichester, Sussex, Great Britain: The Aquarian Press.

Links to Images

1. George Melies:  L’Homme Orchestre:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlFtAC1GCKc
2. Calvert Richard Jones:  Capuchin Friars, Valetta, Malta (Photo):  http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7b36D81705-241D-4934-AB02-FD7C8DBBB3E5%7d&oid=294818&pg=13&rpp=10&pos=125&ft=*
3. Calvert Richard Jones:  Capuchin Friars, Valetta, Malta (Negative):  http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7b36D81705-241D-4934-AB02-FD7C8DBBB3E5%7d&oid=294821&pg=13&rpp=10&pos=126&ft=*
4. Heinrich Hoffman:  Visiting at Leni Riefenstahl’s New Villa in Dahlem, Berlin (Original Image):  http://www.ushmm.org/lcmedia/photo/lc/image/78/78378.jpg
5. Heinrich Hoffman:  Visiting at Leni Riefenstahl’s New Villa in Dahlem, Berlin (Modified):  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PDFHZsgVwh6GTIni7jN84Kt4nyIhfomgHpBZOIKI4unHyhtMu7-m_9oGpU7tohkhYYEA_E_3JqDOZxI7MbtxQr_D3ueyLlNkqu1H1hYxYfdReX8JBNGkH5E4ZsGp1RyESYhuRdKGLcVC/s1600/foto+foto+Leni+Riefenstahl+e+hitler_manipulada.jpg
6. Unidentified Russian artist:  Stalin photo (Original):  http://www.tc.umn.edu/~hick0088/classes/csci_2101/yezhov-orig.jpg
7. Unidentified Russian artist:  Stalin photo (Manipulated):  http://www.tc.umn.edu/~hick0088/classes/csci_2101/yezhov-alt.jpg
8. Charles Negre:  Chandelier:  http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7b36D81705-241D-4934-AB02-FD7C8DBBB3E5%7d&oid=294879&pg=8&rpp=20&pos=150&ft=*
9. Matthew Brady & George N. Barnard:  Sherman and His Generals (Original):  http://photos1.blogger.com/img/31/5431/1024/Sherman%20at%20Center%20and%20His%20Generals%20May%2018651.jpg
10. Matthew Brady & George N. Barnard:  Sherman and His Generals (Manipulated):  http://www.getty.edu/museum/media/images/web/enlarge/066264B1V1.jpg
11. Henry Peach Robinson:  Fading Away:  http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0wT-UCZfViI/TvuUcIaW-mI/AAAAAAAAG4g/gYooLHhdF1s/s1600/Henry_Peach_Robinson_Fading_Away_1858.jpg
12. Edouard Baldus:  Cloister of Saint-Trophime (Final Image):  http://test.classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/619/flashcards/396619/jpg/16.jpg
13. Edouard Baldus:  Cloister of Saint-Trophime (Showing combining of negatives):  http://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/743/flashcards/4090743/jpg/baldus_cloister_at_st_trophime_pch245a-141D805EFC42D1E62B8.jpg
14. George Washington Wilson:  Aberdeen Portraits No. 1 (Original mockup):  https://specialcollectionslearning.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/2-montage-of-portraits-by-george-washington-wilson-image-copyright-university-of-aberdeen.jpg
15. George Washington Wilson:  Aberdeen Portraits No. 1 (Final Image):  http://artblart.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/3-_george-washington-wilson_aberdeen-portraits-web.jpg
16. Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi:  Imperial Court of Napolean III (Final Image):  http://http://www.jcosmas.com/tintypeimages2/tt-163.jpgcfile215.uf.daum.net/image/204B39404DB7D306051B9B
17. Howard S. Redell:  Woman in Champagne Glass:  http://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/original/olvwork505230.jpg
18. Camille Silvy:  Twilight (Final Image):  http://www.culturevoyage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/NPG_450_672_StudiesonLight.jpg
19. Elsie Wright and Frances Griffith:  Cottingley Fairies (Fifth photo):  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/Cottingley-sunbath.jpg
20. Southworth and Hawes:  Young Girl with Hand on Shoulder (Color tinted):  http://metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7B36d81705-241d-4934-ab02-fd7c8dbbb3e5%7D&oid=294843&pg=1&rpp=100&pos=100&ft=*
21. Example of painted tintype:  http://www.jcosmas.com/tintypeimages2/tt-163.jpg
22. Example of charcoal enhanced portrait:  http://www.turley-eyring.org/images/BushmanCharlotteTurleyportrait.jpg
23. Example of crayon enhanced portrait:  http://d8bixwancjkpp.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/crayon.jpg
24. William H. Mumler:  Mary Todd Lincoln with the ghost of her husband, Abraham Lincoln:  http://holdupnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/mumler-lincoln.jpg