Jeff L Rosenheim, photography expert and curator, posits that cameras are integral to the American story, promoting democratic ideals and enabling individuals to document their identities. His exhibition at The Met, 'The New Art: American Photography, 1839-1910', showcases 250 photographs illustrating America's evolving identity through the lens of everyday people. This collection, predominantly featuring studio portraits, captures moments of individuals asserting their place in a young democracy, demonstrating photography's unique ability to record history and empower citizens.
Rosenheim sees cameras as furthering the anti-aristocratic principles that America was founded on, helping individuals own their identities and document their world.
In their immediacy and frankness, these photos offer new possibilities for recording history that simply were not available before the invention of the camera.
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