Before there was an Internet to break, there was this. I'm sure if there was a means of mass distribution of this image back in the day it would have been just as newsworthy as Kim's ample behind. The main difference being that this model most likely was not controlling the income generated from it.
I don't often stray from my standard websites, but this morning I went on a great journey looking for samples of Daguerreotypes. The
Daguerreotype had a short lifespan. Popular in the 1840's, by the 1860's new techniques had rendered it practically obsolete. Not that dissimilar to the Polaroid camera, which seems to be popular and novel once again for teens.
I'm a casual collector of vintage photography. I have Daguerreotypes, tin types, glass plates, experimental photos and old family albums. I collect them in flea markets whenever I get the chance. I'm fascinated as to why anyone would just throw away a photo and curious about the story behind the image. I once went for a 16km run and halfway through found a box of slides from someone's trip to Montreal for Expo '67. Just sitting there on the curb -ready for the garbage. I took as many photos as I could and ran the final 8k with a significant part of history (and pics of their dog) jiggling in my pockets.
Just the other day I discovered the
Burns Archive, an incredible compilation of medical curiosities and post mortem images.
I don't know why I'm fascinated by all this, but it is a wonderful reminder that the copious amounts of Instagram, Pinterest, selfies and digital photos we have today will at some point be looked at by future generations in the same way.
