Victorian Facebooks: Privacy Concerns at William Notman’s Studio

Abstract

The history of issues of privacy in relation to photography is generally dated to the introduction of handheld cameras and halftone printing at the end of the nineteenth century. Citing a remarkable series of notations in the records of famed Montreal photographer William Notman, this article argues that privacy concerns were at issue in the everyday operations of the photography studios that preceded amateur photography. These notations represent the rudimentary attempts that some of Notman’s clients made to restrict the circulation, sale and availability of their studio portraits starting in the 1870s. This article speculates that the emergent anxieties regarding privacy exemplified by such notations were informed by the setup and marketing practices of early photography studios. Ultimately, this analysis seeks to show that current debates about privacy, photography and visibility can be traced back to the commercial systems that developed in tandem with early photography technologies.