ABOUT THE CLASS

With our new online lecture series, An Expanded History of Photography, art historian Kunbi Oni invites students to explore the evolution of photography from its early 19th-century invention to its diverse and dynamic role in contemporary culture. Anchored by a timeline framework, the course traces pivotal technological and stylistic developments—from daguerreotypes and carte de visite to early experiments with abstraction across global geographies. Rather than following a strictly linear history, the course highlights a range of perspectives, spotlighting contributions from African photographers alongside those from Asia, the Americas, and Europe, whose innovations expanded and enriched the medium. Through this lens, we will critically examine how photography intersects with the movement of modernity and major historical moments such as colonialism. Key figures include Frances Benjamin Johnston, a pioneering woman photographer, and Augustus Washington, who established one of the earliest African-owned photography studios in Liberia. These and other practitioners demonstrate photography’s power to shape and challenge visual narratives.

The history of photography begins in France in 1839, a nation undergoing profound societal changes and artistic shifts that set the stage for a revolutionary new medium. In Part I, we will explore photography's beginnings, following its journey from the camera obscura to its invention and placing it within the context of the Realism era. This period coincided with the second wave of the Industrial Revolution, a moment of rapid technological and industrial expansion that propelled photography’s swift evolution. Part II delves into how these changes gave rise to modernism—a movement that paralleled photography’s development and was shaped by advancements in technology, travel, and cultural exchange. Finally, in Part III, we will examine contemporary photography and its evolving modes of presentation. This concluding section highlights how today’s photographers engage with the medium, building on its rich history while navigating its relevance in an ever-changing visual culture. 

If you are interested in the history of photography and visual culture and curious about its representation beyond the mainstream, this online course provides a broader understanding of the medium's evolution and its enduring impact on how we see and interpret the world.