Archives Month Webinar | A Palms-On Strategy to the History of Photography

Join us for an attractive webinar on the historical past of images as we rejoice this yr’s Virginia Archives Month theme, “Oh Snap: Photography in the Archives.”

In this webinar, Wendy Castenell of Washington and Lee University will focus on how the historical past of images can introduce researchers and college students to the medium’s cultural significance, technological developments and the evolving debates on its position as each a truth-telling device and an artwork kind. She will discover the worth of visiting particular collections and archives, which permit individuals to expertise firsthand the textures and uniqueness of historic pictures, making summary concepts extra tangible. Unlike PowerPoint slides, which flatten photographs, archives provide a deeper connection to the various types and makes use of of images throughout time. To illustrate the significance of archives to the historical past of images, Castenell will focus on a collaborative undertaking between her historical past of images college students at Washington and Lee University and the college’s Special Collections and Archives.

Presenter Wendy Castenell is an assistant professor of artwork historical past within the Department of Art and Art History at Washington and Lee University. Her analysis pursuits embrace representations of race and ethnicity in American visible tradition, portraiture, images, early cinema and turn-of-the-century spectacles. Her first ebook, “Creole Identity in the Art of the American South: Louisiana from the Colonial Era to Reconstruction,” shall be printed within the spring of 2026.

Programming help is offered by the Friends of the Virginia State Archives, a 501(c)(3) group.

For extra data, contact Mary Ann Mason at maryann.mason@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3648. This is a free occasion, however registration is required. Information about becoming a member of by Zoom shall be shared with all registered contributors.