Camera Clubs and Photographic Societies
The mass popularization of photography led to the
widespread formation of photographic societies or
‘‘camera clubs’’ whose members sought to investigate
the artistic possibilities of photography and distin-
guish their work from snapshot hobbyists. Camera
clubs thrived in urban areas, and New York City had
more than any other metropolis. Two of the most
prominent clubs—The Society of Amateur Photogra-
phers of New York and the New York Camera
Club—would combine to form the Camera Club of
New York in 1896 and printed a bimonthly news-
letter,The Journal of the Camera Club, which detailed
club proceedings and events. It only lasted four issues
before it was expanded and revised by Alfred Stie-
glitz, one of the club’s most recognized members and
former co-editor ofThe American Amateur Photogra-
pher.Stieglitz’sCamera Notesappeared in July 1897
and quickly established itself as a prestigious quar-
terly as well as a vehicle for the American Pictorialists
to promote photography as a fine art. In 1909,Cam-
era Noteswas absorbed byAmerican Photography,
formed in 1907 by the union ofAmerican Amateur
PhotographerandPhoto-beacon.
Stieglitz abandoned the Camera Club andCamera
Notesin 1902 to establish the Photo-Secessionist
group and a new quarterly,Camera Work,which
began in January 1903 and was the first photographic
journal to focus on images. The front pages featured
photogravures of the highest quality, layouts for text
were based on the designs of William Morris, and
advertisements in the back of the journal were artis-
tically designed and presented, often by Stieglitz him-
self. Lauded by the Royal Photographic Society as a
pinnacle of dignity, taste, and artistic value,Camera
Workbecame a respected journal upon publication.
It almost exclusively featured the work of the Photo-
Secessionists, and single issues were dedicated to sev-
eral prominent photographers—Clarence White,
Edward Steichen, James Craig Annan, and the
Baron Adolph de Meyer.
In 1906,Camera Workannounced the opening of
Stieglitz’s Photo-Secessionist gallery ‘‘291’’ and
began to reflect its activity. As time passed, Stie-
glitz’s interests shifted to French modernist art,
which would become a mainstay of the gallery and
consequently ofCamera Work. The works of artists
such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso began to
feature prominently—in fact, the August 1912Spe-
cial Numberdid not include photography at all.
After a decline in subscriptions and other obstacles
brought about by World War I, Camera Work
ceased publication in 1917 with two final issues
dedicated to the work of photographer Paul Strand.
In California, San Francisco-basedCamera Craft
began publication in 1900 and would become ‘‘The
official organ of the Photographers’ Association of
California’’ in the 1920s. In the 1930s, it became a
debating ground between the Purists led by Ansel
Adams and the Pictorialists whose spokesperson
was William Mortensen.Camera Craftpublished
the photographs and writings of influential photo-
graphers such as Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunning-
ham, John Paul Edwards, Willard Van Dyke, and
Edward Weston. It was later absorbed byAmerican
Photographyin 1942.Illustrated Newsmagazines
Illustrated weekly publications, such asThe Illu-
strated London News, L’Illustration, andDie Illu-
strierte Zeitung came into existence alongside
photography in 1842 and 1843 respectively; yet,
they primarily made use of photography as copy
for engravings. It was not until the invention of
halftone printing in the 1880s that photographs
began appearing alongside text in magazines. As a
result, page layouts received more attention, photo-
graphs became more thoughtfully arranged, and
articles consisting solely of photographs and cap-
tions soon appeared. One of the first picture stories
to appear in a weekly periodical was a series of eight
photographs by Ottomar Anschu ̈tz in the July 14,
1886 issue of Leipzig’sIllustrirte Zeitungdepicting
the ‘‘Greek Festival from Pergamon’s Times’’ at the
Jubila ̈mus-Kunstausstellung. That same year, Le
Journal Illustre ́featured Felix Nadar’s famous ani-
mated interview with centenarian chemist and color
theorist Euge`ne Chevreul in a series of 13 photogra-
vures entitled ‘‘The Art of Living 100 Years.’’ The
Nadar interview—a photographic sequence that
forms a narrative—is considered a pioneering act
in the history of photojournalism.
As halftone printing technologies improved,
news journals began to present stories in picture
sequences, and, as expected, subjects of national
concern such as disasters and wars featured promi-
nently. The 1899 cover ofLeslie’s Weekly, formerly
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, placed a
photograph of dead Philippine soldiers killed in
the war with America on the cover with the
disclaimer: ‘‘This Issue Contains a Large Number
of Remarkable Photographs of the Recent Bloody
Engagements Around Manila.’’ Photographic cov-
erage of the Spanish-American War and the Russo-
Japanese War boostedCollier’srevenues. Arnold
Genthe’s personal photographs documenting
the San Francisco earthquake and resulting fire,PERIODICALS: HISTORICAL