Still life: Uses of archival ethnographic photographs

Late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century ethnographic photographs occupy a negligibly-documented segment in the history of anthropology. The focus of this dissertation is still photography in anthropology, specifically the use of early photographs as anthropological data. The argument is that anthropologists' still photographs are data in themselves and contain information about the subject of the image as well as about the imagemaker, and that the interplay between anthropology and photography is important.;The review of the literature includes the development and early anthropological use of photography. An overview of the work of Spencer and Haddon, Malinowski and Boas, and Mead and Bateson is described with specific emphasis given to their photographic endeavors and existing archives.;Proposed methods using current computer technology to access photographic archival data are suggested. The case for and the case against the use of archival still photographs as a primary research source is presented. In conclusion, the significance of early photography in anthropology is reconsidered and the meaning these data have for anthropologists today is examined. Emerging dialogs in theoretical anthropology are explored for new understanding of the meaning and potential of ethnographic archival photographs.