William H. Rau and the Archives of Photographic History

A critical analysis of the canon of the history of photography
and the collections built on its foundation. Reference is made
to the J. Paul Getty Museum's collection of photographs and the
brilliant contemporary career of William H. Rau (1855-1920). The
author traces the rediscovering of Rau's pictures (6 superb
albums documenting the construction of the Pennsylvania
Railroad) and his subsequent inclusion (thanks to Sam Wagstaff
and the NY Museum of Modern Art) in the photographic canon. The
history of canonization can be traced back to the first
publications on the history of photography, such as Taft's
""Photography and the American Scene'' (1938) and Newhall's
""History of Photography''. The author concludes: ""The story of
Rau becomes an instructive example of the kinds of evidence some
archives leave out and some historians suppress, deny, ignore,
or discard. The point is not to identify the one true Rau, but
to understand that there are many''.


Citaten:
Taft, R.: Photography and the American Scene (1938)
Newhall, B.: History of Photography (1947)