Family fun
Did you know that portrait photography is nearly 180 years old?
The first commercial photography studios of the 1840s produced one-off photographs on a silvered copper plate, known as daguerreotypes. The natural successors to miniature paintings, daguerreotypes cost around one guinea each – an expensive luxury at the time, often beyond the means of ordinary working people.
Amateur photography has existed for as long as professional photography, but for many years mainly the affluent, leisured classes followed the expensive and time-consuming pursuit. Most families didn’t take up amateur photography until the 20th century. The early-1900s saw a significant rise, with more rapid growth during the 1910s, and most casual snapshots in family collections date from that decade onward.
Colleague Sam Kerr thinks he is a bit of a gun with the camera. I thought I would share his latest 'family' portrait of our Media Precinct team. As with any family portrait there is always a few missing and this one is no different. I will update as the others return from sick and holiday leave.
