Overview: During this module, you have been introduced to the tenuous nature of photography’s origins, and you have discovered early technologies that
helped move the field forward. You also saw the fervor for experiment that laid the foundations for the field, as well as some different styles or genres of
photography that emerged in response to these developments.
The journal assignments in this course are private between you and the instructor.
Prompt: For this journal assignment, first survey the online exhibition A Democracy of Images: Photographs From the Smithsonian American Art Museum (https://web.archive.org/web/20170106043450/http:/americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/online/photographs/) and
select a photograph. Address the following in your assignment:
Embed the selected image as part of your assignment.
Include all the identifying information: the photographer’s name (if available), the title, the date, and the medium.
What about this image most supports its narrative?
Identify three formal elements that are at work in the image (e.g., line, composition, balance, focus, color). How do these convey a deeper level of
meaning for the image?
What theme does the image embody?
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your journal assignment should be 3 to 4 paragraphs in length. If any direct reference is made to material from the readings,
use MLA citation styling.
