can Civil War for his highly regarded seriesThe Civil
War, shown on the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS). Robert Mapplethorpe’s traveling exhibition
The Perfect Momentcreated controversy in 1990 be-
cause of its sexual imagery. The Whitney Museum of
American Art in New York presented a major retro-
spective of Richard Avedon photographs in 1994 en-
titledRichard Avedon: Evidence, 1944-1994. In 1997,
Getty Images, Inc., was founded. That year, the
twenty-seventh photography festival held in Arles,
Frances, devoted a significant portion of the festival
to digital images. The Barbican Gallery in London
presented theNative Nations: Journeys in American
Photographyexhibition in 1998.
During the 1990’s, several extraordinarily coura-
geous photojournalists—including Gideon Mendel,
Stephanie Welsh, Lucian Perkins, Kevin Carter, and
Paul Weston—continued the tradition of going into
harm’s way to photograph the horrors of war, rare
animals in their habitat that were on the verge of ex-
tinction, the tragic consequences of disease, and the
frightening circumstances surrounding natural di-
sasters.
In the 1990’s, many museums, publishers, galler-
ies, libraries, and picture archives believed that it was
advantageous for storage and access purposes to dig-
itize their photographic images. By doing so, the im-
ages could be easily linked to the Internet, which al-
lowed millions of people to have access to rare
photographic collections.
Impact The advancements in digital technology
during the decade dramatically changed the world
of photography. Images could be manipulated with
ease on the computer. With the introduction of digi-
tal imaging, photographs could be altered beyond
all recognition. Both the professional and the ama-
teur photographer were now capable of creating
startling images. The photographer could focus
more on the images that could be created and less
on documenting reality. A commercial market for
artistic photography blossomed during the 1990’s.
With the emergence of this new outlet, photogra-
phers felt emboldened to experiment more with the
photographic process.
Historically, photographers had been attempt-
ing to alter photographs since the early twentieth
century. Retouching and cropping had become
common practices employed by photographers to
enhance “reality.” With the introduction of as-
semblages, various art forms could be merged. Pho-
tography, painting, printmaking, and sculpture
were being combined in order for an artist to fulfill
his or her imagination. With the photographic ad-
vancements of the 1990’s, photographers and
other artists had their artistic options dramatically
expanded. It seemed that the nature of an image
was now limited only by the imagination of the
photographer.
Further Reading
Hoy, Anne H.The Book of Photography. Washington,
D.C.: National Geographic, 2005. A fascinating
look at the creative spirit that is at the heart of
photography.
Mora, Gilles.Photo SPEAK: A Guide to the Ideas, Move-
ments, and Techniques of Photography, 1839 to the
Present. New York: Abbeville Press, 1998. A won-
derful overview of the technological advance-
ments in photography and the impact that they
have had on the art world.
Parr, Martin, and Gerry Badger.The Photobook: A His-
tor y Volume II. New York: Phaidon Press, 2006.
This volume shows the extraordinary expansion
of the art of photography since the introduction
of digital technology.
Rosenblum, Naomi.A World Histor y of Photography.
3d ed. New York: Abbeville Press, 1997. A solid ex-
planation of what photography is and where it is
going.
Wands, Bruce. Art of the Digital Age. New York:
Thames and Hudson, 2006. Includes beautiful
examples of how digital technology has revolu-
tionized photography.
Jeffr y JensenSee also Art movements; Digital cameras; Inter-
net; Mapplethorpe obscenity trial; World Wide Web. Physician-assisted suicide
Definition Termination of a patient’s life by
administration of lethal drugs with a physician’s
direct or indirect assistance
In 1994, Oregon voters endorsed the countr y’s only pro-
gram that permits persons who meet certain conditions to
enlist physicians to help them terminate life. The issue en-
gendered debate about mercy killings, the sanctity of life,
and medical ethics.670 Physician-assisted suicide The Nineties in America