A quick breakdown of toy photography's history. It's linked back to the invention of photography, and to the practice of still life in art.
Toy Photography: A Timeline
Henk Tas, “the grandmaster of staged photography”
Henk Tas creates his work, surrounding himself with items from his childhood, focusing on rock & roll, pop music and blues.
How Toy Photography Fits within Photography
First and foremost, toy photography is photography. The term "toy photography" only came to use after the internet age, within the past 15 years or so - primarily through social media like flickr. But toy photography has existed since at least 1898 (123 years ago), and can be traced back even to the invention of photography, all falling instead into the categories I'll outline here.
Kodak and the Rise of Amateur Toy Photography
Hobby Toy Photography can find it's roots in Kodak's 1929 Picture Contest. From representations of boxing rings, lounging dolls and scenic expanses, toy photography spread as cameras came into the hands of the masses. The only place these images are published on the web.
Fake It Til You Make It
A lesson from Edward Weston Each morning Weston journaled. He spoke of the work he made in these journals. In 1923 he burned the majority of the journal he had kept, disgusted by its contents. He later began writing again. He stopped journaling after becoming recognized as an artist. In those years before he received... Continue Reading →
toy.photography | This Blog in Summary
A bit of a blog summary for all my new visitors.
Who Invented Toy Photography?
No one. It's my new mission to help Google search results for toy photography questions. Right now, you search this question and get the name of someone that leads to an article that says something to the effect of - "remembers creating his first toy photos in the 80s." So, not an answer to the... Continue Reading →
How Toy Photography has Changed Over Time: 1898 to Present Day
Toy photography, in large part, has followed the same trends as photography as a whole and art of other mediums over the years. Here's the brakdown. Updated 7/7/2021 Early Photography Albert Smith and James Stuart Blackton, Raising Old Glory Over Morro Castle, 1898Bombardment of Matanzas, Edward H. Amet, 1898Death in the Air, Wesley David Archer,... Continue Reading →