Seeing war: presentation, perception, and responsibility

June 10, 2025 | Source: Monroe Gallery of Photography

 Via MEER Culture

June 9, 2025

"In the mid-19th century, governments and military institutions began actively employing photographers during conflicts to document their war efforts, images that were then used to cultivate a sense of national pride back home. Two well-known examples are Roger Fenton’s photographs of the Crimean War and Matthew Brady’s photographs of the American Civil War.

However, by the 20th century, with the rise of World War II, the technological boom, and the growing need for mass communication on a global scale, conflict photography began to shift toward a more raw and activist approach. It became widely used as a medium to expose concealed truths and reveal the horrors of war. This transformation became particularly prominent during the Vietnam War, where the power of photographic imagery played a central role in shaping public opinion and confronting audiences with the brutal realities of the conflict." -click to read full article

WWII  Eighty Years is on exhibit through June 22, 2025

Tags: conflict photography ethics journalsm war war photography