Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008 - (Page 20)

www.hnoc.org A Closer Look The Antebellum Photographs of Jay Dearborn Edwards, 1858-1861 Photographs communicate in one direction: from the past — where their content resides — to the present. They are fixed. It is we, the viewers, who change. Even though early photographs depicted ostensibly familiar subjects, they presented the viewer — quite literally — with something never before seen. Hybrids of pure science and pure miracle, they inspired both trust and awe. Unlike other art forms, which more readily revealed the hand of the creator, early photographs were embraced for their ability to tell (or reveal) the truth. Deception, of course, has been part of photography’s baggage since its invention. But this quality was more apparent to early practitioners than to early audiences. Then as well as now, part of the unadulterated pleasure of looking at photographs resides in their potential to conjure a myriad of responses. By definition, responses will vary, given an individual’s bank of personal memories or areas of curiosity. Indeed, a viewer may mine or glean information from a photograph that has little to do with its maker’s intent. To encourage — and to The Steamer Magnolia at the Port of New Orleans, between 1858 and 1861, a salted paper photoprint by Jay Dearborn Edwards. chart — multiple paths of inquiry is the curatorial premise of A Closer Look: The Antebellum Photographs of Jay Dearborn Edwards, 1858–1861, opening at The Historic New Orleans Collection on Wednesday, October 1. The body of work left by Jay Dearborn Edwards is not materially different from that of many others who practiced the craft and art of early photography. Edwards used no secret formulas, no special cameras — only the tools and techniques of a working professional. It was his subject, the South’s largest city, that sets his work apart. Edwards made several dozen photographs of New Orleans — undoubtedly more are waiting to be unearthed — within a span of less than five years. These images pique our interest for their 20 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Fall 2008 http://www.hnoc.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008 Contents Friends Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities New Orleans Immortelle The Historic New Orleans Collection Highland-Fairfield: The Historic Heart of Shreveport The Ogden Museum of Southern Art Perils of the Mississippi River Louisiana Foodways Harvest of Life King Oliver: The Forgotten King of Jazz Louisiana Architecture Jazz Notes Louisiana State Museum Eye of the Storm Louisiana Association of Museums Soul Resin Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2008

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