Latinx Photography in the United States: A Visual History

Abstract

in each of his chapters, on the knowledge produced, the medium used to present the image, its therapeutic purpose, the public or private space in which it is utilised and the manner in which it is collected and saved. The ‘drama of the raw materials’ that make up the liquid process of photography is a constant parallel to the drama and the liquidity of the facial wounds that are being photographed. By tracing the movement of these medical photographs within various archives and collections, including the extant multiples of these images, and the different formats in which they were communicated – prints, lantern slides, publications and so on – Bate convinces his readers that these images ‘are far from dry, static final prints’; they have lived multiple lives, fomented many ethical quandaries and effected various methods of collection and meaning making. At times, Bate’s points are obscured by inelegant prose. Additionally, Photography in the Great War could have benefited from another round of proofreading from the editorial team, as there are recurring typo issues. But, overall, this book adds necessary institutional, economic, cultural and personal context to images of facially injured First World War servicemen. Bate does this without shying away from the emotional roles of the patients and their families in the creation and storage of these images, as well as the historian’s ethical uncertainties in viewing and writing about these photographs.