Comparison Essay 4 Choice A
2020 Summer Term (4W2) History of Photography ARTH 258 01[1002] (Queens College)
Essay Assignments
Comparison Essay 4: Social Issues and Historic Events in Photography
Comparison Essay 4 Choice A
Comparison Essay 4 Choice A
Write a comparison of approximately 200 words of the 2 photographs shown. Both explore various social, economic and political issues and may record or
refer to important events in history. Discuss the use of visual elements of design like shape, line, light / shadow, texture, color, depth and
space, etc. Also, discuss the visual qualities particular to photography, such as point-of-view, angle of viewing, cropping of the picture, poses, gestures,
facial expressions, use of color or absence of color in the print, etc. Who and what are the subjects and how are they depicted? What are the figures
doing? What is the setting? How are they similar or different?
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Shao Ting Chang
Write a comparison of approximately 200 words of the 2 photographs shown. Both explore various social, economic and political issues and may record or
refer to important events in history. Discuss the use of visual elements of design like shape, line, light / shadow, texture, color, depth and
space, etc. Also, discuss the visual qualities particular to photography, such as point-of-view, angle of viewing, cropping of the picture, poses, gestures,
facial expressions, use of color or absence of color in the print, etc. Who and what are the subjects and how are they depicted? What are the fi g ures
doing? What is the setting? How are they similar or diff erent?
Social Issues and Historic Events Photographs
For decades, photography has allowed human beings to document historic moments in life. The first photograph is the works of Antoine Claudet, while the second photo captured by Walker Evans. Both pictures are black and white, high tone, and valuable. The saturation and color intensity adorns the backdrop for the photographs. The characters in both setups are presented in a calm, humble, and gracious manner. Both images were captured in a home setting. The figures represent members of a family. These photographs are an outright representation of the lives of the low and upper class in the community.
The first photo shows multiple subjects at different angles, while in the second frame, all the characters lie on the same line and can be seen by the viewer with ease. In the first photo, the children’s dressings, man’s suit, elegant mirror, and drapers show that the characters are wealthy people in society. However, in the second photo, the subjects are from a poor background. Most of the subjects do not have shoes and are dressed in dirty clothes. There is limited space, and the image appears closer to the viewer in the first photo compared to the second one. The artist cropped in the first picture more compared to the second one. The subjects in the opening frame are enthusiastic and eager, while the characters in the second photo seem apathetic.
Bibliography
Dallmer, Denise. “Teaching students about civil rights using print material and photographs.” The Social Studies 98, no. 4 (2007): 153-158.
Mitchell, Geoffery, Christopher Burmester, Ruth Lassman, and Corinne Wayshak. “Confetti with photographic imagery on its surface.” U.S. Patent Application 10/163,282, filed December 12, 2002.
McCormick, Theresa M., and Janie Hubbard. “Every Picture Tells a Story: A Study of Teaching Methods Using Historical Photographs with Elementary Students.” Journal of Social Studies Research 35, no. 1 (2011).
