Ethnography
From its invention in 1839, photography was seen as a powerful tool that could greatly benefit the sciences. It was poised to replace the graphic documentation previously carried out by illustrators, providing a supposedly more accurate and unbiased alternative to hand-drawn illustrations. As a result, photography was rapidly embraced by anthropology—the discipline concerned with the study of humans in their biological, social, linguistic, and archaeological contexts—and by ethnography, a subfield focused on direct observation and immersion in the daily lives of specific groups or communities.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, photographic images became essential for documenting and classifying cultural and physical differences. Ethnographers embraced photography as a new tool to record their fieldwork, complementing other forms of visual documentation such as maps and descriptive drawings. Although these images were often considered objective, they were, in fact, closely linked to imperialist ideologies. By exoticising and othering non-Western societies, these photographs reinforced Western superiority. This colonial lens not only shaped academic perspectives but also influenced public perceptions of so-called “primitive” cultures, thereby justifying colonial exploitation.
