The History and Development of Arctic Photography

This paper discusses the development of photographic technology from the mideighteenth century to the present and the application of this evolving technology to the exploration and documentation of the North American Arctic. Early attempts to make use of the photographic medium in visually documenting the landscape and cultures of the Arctic were severely hampered by a cumbersome and time-consuming photographic process which often required an entire day to take just a few exposures. For this reason, contemporary scholars are fortunate to have any photographic documentation from this early period of arctic exploration and research. With the development of more efficient and portable cameras around the turn of the century, the number of professional and amateur photographers working in the North increased dramatically. The images left by these intrepid photographic pioneers provide a useful source of data concerning traditional Inuit and Yup'ik cultures as well as the impacts of rapid social change introduced by whalers, missionaries, traders, and government agencies. In recent years, the research potential of such historical collections has been recognized by northern researchers and native cultural organizations which have used these photographs for conducting oral history interviews with native elders and for illustrating community histories and regional land use inventories.