Final answer:
Photography has historically straddled the line between art and documentation, with early works challenging the definition of art. The medium has been used as a tool for self-representation and shaped by the desire for portraiture, while also serving to perpetuate power dynamics in contexts such as colonialism.
Step-by-step explanation:
Photography has played a unique role in society, oscillating between art and a means of factual documentation since its inception. Early photography, as mentioned by Dr. Rebecca Jeffrey Easby, was considered primitive by modern standards, with austere beauty found in the stark black and white imagery. However, these photographs challenged conventional notions of art at the time.
In the 1950s, the concept of jikko, which is the faithful depiction of a subject's character, mood, and personality, was highly valued. As times changed, preferences shifted towards staged photographs against elaborate studio backdrops to convey a sense of modern leisure and cosmopolitan travels, known as jamano, suggesting fashionable novelty and change. Entrepreneurial photographers like Nadar capitalized on the demand for portrait photography, which served both personal and commercial interests.
The use of photography in colonial contexts often perpetuated stereotypes and obscured complex historical and political narratives. On the contrary, local techniques of self-representation through popular photography allowed subjects to craft aspirational identities, using props and imported goods to signify modernity and personal achievement.
Photography's status as a fine art has been debated, with nineteenth-century photographers grappling with its classification. The development of photography was influenced by the need for affordable portraiture during the Industrial Revolution, leading to the widespread use of the Daguerreotype process.
In summary, photography's role as a tool for repression can be seen in different contexts, such as mug shots that reduce individuals to criminal identities, or colonial era photographs that may have been used to assert power and control. However, in portraiture, photography can also empower individuals by allowing them to shape their identities and portray themselves in aspirational ways.