Given the current ubiquity of cameras and the broad circulation of photographs in this digital age, photography can be understood as a threat to privacy. But even in its earliest forms—from daguerreotypes, cartes de visite, and stereographs to commercial advertising—the medium triggered both excitement and concerns about heightened visibility. Photography carried various risks and rewards based on gender, race, class, and disability. This exhibition considers some of those aspects as it traces the fascinating interrelated and overlooked histories of photography and privacy in the nineteenth century.

This exhibition draws on research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Public Programs

Opening Reception

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | 6–8 pm

Curator in Conversation: Privacy, Visibility, and Early Photography

Sarah Parsons (York University) and Zeynep Gürsel (Rutgers University-New Brunswick)

Wednesday, June 5, 2024 | 6 pm

Special Exhibition Tour: Hypervisibility

Frances Dorenbaum

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 | 6 pm

All events take place at The Image Centre (33 Gould St., Toronto) unless otherwise noted.

Admission is always free

Gallery Hours

Wednesday: 12–8 pm

Thursday–Saturday: 12–6 pm

Sunday–Tuesday: Closed

Exhibition Tours

Tuesday: By appointment

Wednesday–Friday: Drop-in, 1:30 pm

Édouard de Beaumont, Prises... Au Daguerréotype. Ah!... Clarisse... Vois donc

cette grande machine... On dirait qu’il y a un œil qui nous regarde!, 1859, lithograph with applied colour (facsimile). Courtesy of the George Eastman Museum, Gift of Eastman Kodak Company, ex-collection Gabriel Cromer