Photo montage is the result of making a composite photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting composite image is photographed so the final image appears to be a photographic print. This method can also be done through image editing software.

History

Historically, photo montage has been used to make political statements and gained popularity in the early 20th Century. It was first used as a technique by the Dadaists in 1915 in their protest against the first World War. It was later adopted by the surrealists who exploited the possibilities photo montage offered by using free association to bring together different images, to reflect the workings of the unconscious mind. Photo montage was also used by various pop artists in the mid 20th Century. Pop art was a reaction to abstract expressionism and was similar to DADA. Many pop art images and constructions tackled popular consumerism, advertising, branding and marketing techniques. Pop art also explored political concerns such as war and gender roles.