John Camp
Well-known
Something here on a non-police-harassment thread caused me to take down my copy of "Bystander: A History of Street Photography" and browse through it last night before bed. In the first chapter I found these quotes:
"In 1843, four years after announcing his invention of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot went to France to make views of cathedrals...unfortunately, he couldn't obtain some official permissions he needed and tried to think of something else to photograph..."
And later:
"Candid photography was itself among the liberties that could be taken at the beach but were frowned upon elsewhere. Before World War I, there were many public places in which such photography was against the law. In London, you needed a permit to take pictures in parks that Paul Martin frequented, and a photographer caught snapping the crowds might be subject to arrest. In Paris, a ban on street photography was lifted by the prefect of police only in 1890. (This perhaps explains why there were no great Parisian careers in street photography between Negre's and Atget's.)"
-JC
"In 1843, four years after announcing his invention of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot went to France to make views of cathedrals...unfortunately, he couldn't obtain some official permissions he needed and tried to think of something else to photograph..."
And later:
"Candid photography was itself among the liberties that could be taken at the beach but were frowned upon elsewhere. Before World War I, there were many public places in which such photography was against the law. In London, you needed a permit to take pictures in parks that Paul Martin frequented, and a photographer caught snapping the crowds might be subject to arrest. In Paris, a ban on street photography was lifted by the prefect of police only in 1890. (This perhaps explains why there were no great Parisian careers in street photography between Negre's and Atget's.)"
-JC
