Californie à Paris: Photographic Circulation and the Making of Imperial Identities, c. 1900

This article proposes a case study of the souvenir album Californie: Illustration pour l’Exposition de Paris 1900 with the aim to trace how photographic illustration catered to both Californian promotion in Europe and community-building on the West Coast in a period of emerging US imperialism. Analy...

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Main Author: Carolin Görgen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association Française d'Etudes Américaines 2024-12-01
Series:Transatlantica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/24151
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author Carolin Görgen
author_facet Carolin Görgen
author_sort Carolin Görgen
collection DOAJ
description This article proposes a case study of the souvenir album Californie: Illustration pour l’Exposition de Paris 1900 with the aim to trace how photographic illustration catered to both Californian promotion in Europe and community-building on the West Coast in a period of emerging US imperialism. Analyzing the sequence of images, their mise-en-scène alongside elaborate descriptions and translations into French and German, the article reconstructs the emergence of a shared narrative of the imagined West, with a specifically “Californian” visual vocabulary. Special emphasis is placed on the contributors’ background and their relationships to local photographer organizations, notably the California Camera Club, which furnished the vast majority of photographic materials for commercial state publications in the early twentieth century. Promotional albums like Californie provided rare opportunities to spread the productions of a remote photographer community to European publics. At the same time, the very format of the reproducible promotional album transported an imperial vision back to Californian residents, thus shaping local understandings of California’s place in the European world.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Association Française d'Etudes Américaines
record_format Article
series Transatlantica
spelling doaj-art-6c4a4f6a6a714d698d2e0766835010502025-01-30T10:48:28ZengAssociation Française d'Etudes AméricainesTransatlantica1765-27662024-12-01210.4000/134gwCalifornie à Paris: Photographic Circulation and the Making of Imperial Identities, c. 1900Carolin GörgenThis article proposes a case study of the souvenir album Californie: Illustration pour l’Exposition de Paris 1900 with the aim to trace how photographic illustration catered to both Californian promotion in Europe and community-building on the West Coast in a period of emerging US imperialism. Analyzing the sequence of images, their mise-en-scène alongside elaborate descriptions and translations into French and German, the article reconstructs the emergence of a shared narrative of the imagined West, with a specifically “Californian” visual vocabulary. Special emphasis is placed on the contributors’ background and their relationships to local photographer organizations, notably the California Camera Club, which furnished the vast majority of photographic materials for commercial state publications in the early twentieth century. Promotional albums like Californie provided rare opportunities to spread the productions of a remote photographer community to European publics. At the same time, the very format of the reproducible promotional album transported an imperial vision back to Californian residents, thus shaping local understandings of California’s place in the European world.https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/24151Paris Universal Exposition 1900California Camera ClubSouthern Pacific Railroadboosters of the American Westphoto albums
spellingShingle Carolin Görgen
Californie à Paris: Photographic Circulation and the Making of Imperial Identities, c. 1900
Transatlantica
Paris Universal Exposition 1900
California Camera Club
Southern Pacific Railroad
boosters of the American West
photo albums
title Californie à Paris: Photographic Circulation and the Making of Imperial Identities, c. 1900
title_full Californie à Paris: Photographic Circulation and the Making of Imperial Identities, c. 1900
title_fullStr Californie à Paris: Photographic Circulation and the Making of Imperial Identities, c. 1900
title_full_unstemmed Californie à Paris: Photographic Circulation and the Making of Imperial Identities, c. 1900
title_short Californie à Paris: Photographic Circulation and the Making of Imperial Identities, c. 1900
title_sort californie a paris photographic circulation and the making of imperial identities c 1900
topic Paris Universal Exposition 1900
California Camera Club
Southern Pacific Railroad
boosters of the American West
photo albums
url https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/24151
work_keys_str_mv AT carolingorgen californieaparisphotographiccirculationandthemakingofimperialidentitiesc1900