quotes and comments from photographer, reference sources
For my research into archival photographers that worked in Jersey, I selected Francis Foot to be the subject of my case study. Foot was born in 1885, and soon developed a fascination with photography. Foot focused a lot of his work on producing portraits of the people of Jersey, many of which include multiple subjects and families. Below is a mood-board reflecting some of his work:
Foot’s work focused a lot on using posed subjects in their natural environment, to give a relatable yet formal sense to his images. |Foot often used props such as cars, buggies and other common objects to show more of the personalities of the subjects, and to reflect what they used and did in their daily lives. Through this, Foot was able to establish a unique style of portraiture, combining both relatable, every day life scenery with formal, posed subjects and props to create eye catching portraits. In addition to this, Foot would often take portraits of his own family, in and around their shop and at times, Francis himself would appear in the images.
I have chosen this particular image to further analyse, as I feel that the style and contents of the image itself is interesting, and the scenery helps to tell a story. Like many of Foots works, this image contains a number of subjects, including a mother and two children. The poses of the subjects are reflective of the formalities associated with portrait photography of the time, as the subjects are relatively neutral in their expressions, and pose in a formal, simple manner. In terms of the technical aspects of this image, the image is shown in black and white (the only available colour format in the time the image was taken). Although there was no alternative to grey scale in the early 20th century, the black and white coloring of this image allows for contrast between shapes and shades to be emphasized, and overall allows to show the vintage time which it represents (and originates from). The image as a whole has experienced very little, if no editing, and this allows for the real, original feel of the image to show through, giving the viewer a genuine look into the time in which Foot lived.
Francis work on portraiture during this time, especially during the beginning of the 20th century, helps to show the cultural norms and society during this time. Although the photographer himself left very little in terms of letters, interviews and diaries explicitly reporting on his own opinions and meanings behind his work, it can be inferred that much of Foots work was focused on documenting the journey of his family, and the people who lived around him, as they lived, occasionally experienced well known historical and local occasions, such as the visit from King George V and Queen Mary, and the Battle of the Flowers in Jersey.