At the end of the First World War, photography began to be perceived in many different ways. Photography was oftentimes seen not as art, but as a way of propaganda. This varies from country to country, as different countries had different traditions of photography.
Soviet Photography
In 1920s, photography began to emerge as one of the most important roles in Soviet propaganda. Photography became known as "utilitarian art". Soviet avant-garde gloried the industrial society as a symbol of modernity. Amateur photographers received encouragement from the government. Soviet photography produced by social realism displays basic communist values, such as an enthusiastic worker. In 1930s, photography became a true art of propaganda of the Soviet Union.
Ilya Golosov, Zuev Club, 1926.
An example of Soviet avant-garde.
An example of Soviet avant-garde.
Sergei Shimakin, Moldavia, 1930.
An example of Soviet social realism.
An example of Soviet social realism.
Italian Photography
Italian photography is different from the Soviet in style, but is still used as an active tool of propaganda. A typical photography in Italy would be a war veteran, smiling faces of children, sunsets of beautiful Italian nature - everything that emphasized how good life in Italy was. Also, history was not rejected at all. Oftentimes, Italian photography showed voctorious conquests of Ethiopia, which appealed to many Italians and increased patriotism within the country. The main artistic movement in Italy was futurism. Organized by Vivien Greene, Italian futurism was managed by international advisor
Unknown, Marshal Rodolfo Graziani reviews a Black Shirt unit on the Ethiopian-Somaliland front, 1935.
German Photography
When Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, nazis Germany started glorifying life values which they called "timeless." These are the values of the fatherland, virtues of the man to work, the family, etc. Also, in order to anger the German society, the government encouraged photography about the devastation of the World War I. Just as the Soviet government, the German government supported photography of an amateur. Nazis Germany had official photographers as well. These photographers were hired to illustrate the "superiority of the Aryan race," stereotypes about other races, and achievements of the Nazis Party.
Paul Wolff, German Girls on the Beach, 1936.
United States' Photography
Unlike any other countries, photography of the United States did not focus on glorification of the United States, but on the contrary, on making people aware of misery of a whole category of the population. American photography was influenced by the crisis of 1929. At that time, Farm Security Administration hired many official photographers to explore and illustrate America in a documentary way. This was part of the reforms taken by president Roosevelt. Another common movement in photography of the United States, especially in 1920s, was the "new vision" photography. This type of photography reflected metropolitan landscapes, emphasizing the abstract forms, geometry, city life, and industrial production. Berenice Abbot, Alma Lavenson, and Peter Stackpole were the most famous representatives of this type of photography. Some photographers, such as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and Ansel Adams, formed a branch of the "new vision" photography. Their work focused on textural details and forms of the industrial society.
One of the most famous photographers working for Farm Security Organization was Dorothea Lange. She was born on 26 May, 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey. She graduated from Columbia University where she studied photography. Her work focused on photographs of migrant workers. In 1934, she held he first exhibition. In 1940, Lange received Guggenheim Fellowship.
Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, 1936.
Photographic Agencies
Although photography was used in World War I, photographic agencies were not created until 1920. Since then, the agencies started gaining their popularity because of the increasing popularity of photography. Photography became one of the main sources of reaching people. Many newspapers hired photographic agencies to make good quality pictures about the most important issues at that time. Also, governments started hiring such agencies as well and use them as a source of propaganda.