The Origins of the Mug Shot
US police departments began taking photographs of people they arrested in the 1850s.
How Trading Card Collectors Have Fought Stereotypes
By making what may have been unseen visible, trading cards have often provided an opening into larger conversations on race, gender, and representation.
Love, Obsession, and Sophie Calle
The conceptual artist Sophie Calle creates art that urges us to ask, is attention the same as love?
Why David Hockney Makes Both Paintings and Photographs
In a 1991 interview with singer Graham Nash, David Hockney explained how he applied his drawing skills to photography via the computer.
Michelle Dean: A Sharp Look at Criticism by Women
Dean on the obstacles women face in being taken seriously as intellectuals, feminist infighting, and the importance of being an outsider.
Before Blogs, There Were Zines
Zines haven't completely disappeared in the internet age, but the photocopier-powered DIY publishing phenomenon has certainly entered history by now.
Marie Cosindas and the Painterly Photograph
A student of painting, then of black and white photography under Ansel Adams, Marie Cosindas became famous for turning color photography into an art form.
John Berger, 1926-2017
John Berger has died at the age of 90. Famous for his television series and book Ways of Seeing, he was a critic, artist, novelist, poet, and radical.
How Do I (Not) Look? Live Feed Video and Viral Black Death
When we have the choice to look, we are bound ethically and politically to what we witness and what we do with what we have seen.
Post Offices, Prep Schools, and Poetry
Our Friday Reads are these five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else.