The Camera's Eye: Understanding Early Photography with Heidi Campbell Shoaf Tuesday March 3 7:30pm
Description
POSTPONED
Tuesday March 3, 2026 7:30pm EST
The Camera's Eye: Understanding Early Photography
The advent of practical photography in 1839 led to cultural and technological changes never before seen. For the first time in human history, portraits were available to everyone and not just the wealthy and well-connected. Photographers produced millions of images in just a few decades and innovators moved the technology forward at a rapid pace. This presentation will review the types of photographs available between 1839 and 1870, their attributes and how to identify them. The balance of the talk will discuss what photography can tell us about the mid-19th century and what it cannot.
Heidi Campbell-Shoaf is Public Historian for The State Museum of Pennsylvania. She holds a Master's Degree in American History with an emphasis on 19th century social and women's history. She has studied and collected early photography for more than three decades.