Rochester Institute of Technology RIT Scholar Works Theses 3-1-1986 The photographic snapshot Michael Simon Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.rit.edu/theses Recommended Citation Simon, Michael, "The photographic snapshot" (1986). Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. Accessed from This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by RIT Scholar Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of RIT Scholar Works. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT by Michael Simon March 1986 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Rochester Institute of Technology Thesis Board Richard D. Zakia Chairman: Richard Zakia, Professor, School of Photographic Arts & Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Members: Elliott Rubenstein, Associate Professor, School of Photographic Arts & Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Keith A. Boas Keith Boas Eastman Kodak Company, Supervising Editor, Commercial Publications 1 CONTENTS Thesis Board 1 Acknowledgements 2 Introduction 3 Snapshots a Definition 4 Photographs as art 6 The ubiqui tousness of the snapshot 12 Survey of past definitions of snapshots 15 A definition of folk art 25 Photographic snapshots as folk art 34 Snapshots and the media 44 Snapshots as ritual 55 The Evolution of the Snapshot since 1880 66 Enjoying Photographs 7 9 Bibliography 103 List of Illustrations 107 Acknowledgements My thesis board, Richard Zakia, Elliott Rubenstein, and Keith Boas, have been of great assistance in the preparation of this essay and have supported my work through its many drafts. For their contribution I owe them many thanks. In addition, I should like to thank all those who helped with comments, suggestions, and who read the manuscript in its many stages.