Colonial photography

Frédérique Fanchette interviewed Charles-Henri Favrod, the former director of the Elysée Museum for Photography in Lausanne and author of 'The Time of Colonies', an anthology of the imagery of colonisation. According to Favrod, "colonisation coincided with the discovery of photography. (...) In the years from 1850-1860, images of distant countries such as India or China began to circulate. Then with the widespread use of photography, it became the medium for celebrating colonial virtue. At the end of the century, this triumph of the image culminated in the exotic postcard, which was all the rage well before the Colonial Exhibition of 1931." Asked about the controversial part of the law of February 23, 2005 stipulating the 'positive' role of colonisation," Favrod says he finds the text "anachronistic and aimed at attracting votes."   

» more information (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » History, » France