A short history of photography - with photographs by Jacob Aue Sobol

In his book A Short History of Photography (1931), Walter Benjamin explores how photography not only depicts the world, but actively shapes our view of it. With the concept of the optical unconscious – what the camera captures but which escapes the human gaze – Benjamin opens up new perspectives on perception and the role of technology in our world of experience.

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A little history of photography is far from a traditional history of photography. It is a reflection on its time, written in an intense and almost manifesto-like style; an essay that takes shape with philosophical turns, provides culturally critical perspectives and in its own way introduces the history of photography. At the same time, the book invites a still-current debate about how images shape our reality.

Author: Walter Benjamin
Page count: 70
Publisher: A Mock Book
Language: Danish