ABSTRACT
To discuss photography in the Americas is to undertake an unfathomable task – just to focus on some of its specific features would imply the research of a deep and vast field. A brief historical overview of photography in the continent starts with the invention’s arrival and rapid spread resulting in its establishment in different social spheres, both in the south and in the north, which included its scientific use that defined its prestige as an “instrument of truth.” Photography’s reproductive capacity allowed for a way to understand history and everyday life, and established a visual domain in the 20th century (→ Visual Cultures, III/45). In contrast, mutations and displacements of the photographic image are among the socio-digital practices in the 21st century (→ Digital Culture, III/28).
