Photographic modernism on the margins: William Harding, The Camera and the Irish salons of photography, 1927 to 1939

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article examines the extent to which photographic modernism was embraced by the Irish amateur scene in the 1920s and 1930s. In particular, it looks at the annual photographic salons which were held in Dublin during the period, and considers the relationship between modernist techniques and the more painterly style known as “pictorialism”. The debates and tensions relating to these opposing styles of photography, as played out in the contemporary press, will be analysed. Particular attention is paid to The Camera, a Dublin magazine aimed at the amateur market. The article will also examine how technological advances impacted upon Irish photographic practice, and how class was an important factor in determining who participated in amateur photography. The article finishes with a consideration of the “Irishness” of Irish photography in the decades after Partition.