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a pure photographic aesthetic where there was a clear
demarcation between “real” and fabricated pictures.
Despite the efforts of some members of the photo-
graphic community, retouching, and debates upon its ef-
fi cacy and honesty, were commonplace during the 1850s
and 1860s. In the carte-de-visite era, methods could be
as crude as the retouching of eyes by putting pinpricks
in the negative. During the 1870s and 1880s, retouching
continued to be prevalent. This second phase of retouch-
ing differed from the early years of photography though
in that the dominant means of manipulation was through
working upon the negative rather than painting upon the
positive print. Photographic manipulation became par-
ticularly common after the introduction of the dry-plate
negative in the early 1870s because these were easier to
rework than the existing wet-plate negatives.
In addition the technical ease with which retouching
could now be carried out, the introduction of a larger
format of cabinet photograph presented a greater threat
to a sitter’s vanity. Any blemishes or wrinkles were
more likely to be evident. The value of producing of
fl attering pictures certainly encouraged the widespread
use of retouching. As the Photographic News put it
in 1872, photographers knew that “those portraitists
who retouch most effectively secure the largest share
of public patronage” (“Retouching and Photographic
Truth” 25). An equally important reason for the practice,
however, was the removal of technical imperfectionsRETOUCHING
Southworth, Albert Sands and Josiah
Johnson Hawes. Lemuel Shaw.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Gift of Edward S. Hawes, Alice
Mary Hawes, and Marion Augusta
Hawes, 1938 (38.34) Image © The
Metropolitan Museum of Art.