Early Gaze

Name: Early Gaze
Price: 125 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9789493416284

Unseen Photography of the 19th Century

Tamara Berghmans, Ingrid Leonard

$125

Paperback

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Miscellaneous
06 March 2026

Photographs: collections; Social & cultural history

This book explores Belgium's early embrace of photography after its 1839 invention, highlighting its role as a hub for innovation, supported by geography, industry, and a wealthy middle class. With numerous nostalgic photographs. Text in English and Dutch.

A fascinating journey through the development of 19th century photography

Early Gaze provides a fascinating insight into the origins and development of photography in nineteenth-century Belgium. At the time, the technology was the wonder of the age. Presenting never-before-published material, the book uncovers hidden stories and perspectives while also revealing a rich array of subjects. It also demonstrates how the ruling class harnessed photography as a potent instrument of identity and control. From intimate portraits to medical experiments, from art photography to the first mugshots, Early Gaze brings together hundreds of unique images to illuminate how the pioneers of the era sought to capture their world with the camera.

With numerous unique photos by François Braga, Joseph Pelizzaro, Guillaume Claine, Joseph Ernest Buschmann, Edmond Fierlants, and others.

Published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at FOMU - Fotomuseum Antwerp from 24 October 2025 to 1 March 2026.

By: Tamara Berghmans, Ingrid Leonard
Imprint: Miscellaneous
Country of Publication: Belgium
Dimensions: Height: 290mm, Width: 230mm,
Weight: 1.620kg
ISBN: 9789493416284
ISBN 10: 9493416283
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 06 March 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

8 Foreword Ann Deckers 10 Introduction Tamara Berghmans & Ingrid Leonard 14 Photography in Belgium: A Game of Magic and Power Tamara Berghmans & Ingrid Leonard 184 Photography, Nation-Building and Tourism in Belgium in the Nineteenth Century Herman Van Goethem 190 Urban Photography in Belgium (1839−1900) Herman Van Goethem 198 The Colonial Gaze Bambi Ceuppens 204 Between Art and Craft: Photography in Exhibitions Steven F. Joseph 210 Photography and Ethics: Behind Every Image Lie Myriad Decisions Kaat Somers 216 Nineteenth-Century Judicial Photography Paul Drossens 222 Medical Photography and the Ethics of Publishing Steven F. Joseph 228 Sakala’s Silence: One-Sided Traces of His Life in the Colonial Archive Lisa Yolanda Lambrechts 234 Revisiting Photographic Heritage: Decolonial and Intersectional Perspectives Sonia Mutaganzwa 240 Female Pioneers of Belgian Photography Ingrid Leonard 248 Searching for Missing Images Pool Andries 254 And Then the Light was Caught: The Oldest Surviving Photos of Belgium Storm Calle 258 ‘A Perverse Speciality’: A History of Pornographic Photography in Belgium (1860-1914) Leon Janssens 264 About the Authors 265 Dutch Translations Nederlandse vertaling 302 Select Bibliography

Tamara Berghmans is an art historian with a specialisation in photography, particularly in photohistorical research. Her academic focus encompasses a range of topics, including photobooks, art photography, subjective photography, and pictorialism. She has a strong interest in Belgian modern art photography, with a particular emphasis on the works of Ed van der Elsken and Sanne Sannes. Ingrid Leonard is a researcher and assistant curator at FOMU – Fotomuseum in Antwerp.

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Early Gaze

Unseen Photography of the 19th Century

Tamara Berghmans, Ingrid Leonard

$125

Paperback

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