Artists on Photography: Travel and Souvenir Albums from Outside Europe Münchner Stadtmuseum Photography Collection

Examining the imperialist gaze through 19th-century tourism photography

Produced in association with the Artists on Photography fellowship awarded by the Münchner Stadtmuseum's Photography Department, this volume draws on the output of program fellows Lilly Lulay and Eksuda Singhalampong. Their project compiles a collection of 19th-century travel and souvenir photography as well as historical photo albums from non-European countries including Argentina, China, India, Japan, South Africa and New Zealand. Who traveled to the Global South to take photographs there, and who purchased the pictures and albums? What role did photography play in the 19th century as a source of souvenirs, and how has this been changed by globalization? What kind of afterlife do these images and the oppressive structures that inform them have in the age of AI? The book addresses these questions through 13 short essays by experts from the regions depicted.