Baby Pictures

Baby pictures as "scientific evidence" (read: propaganda) to further the agenda of white supremacists---who knew? It really does sound ridiculous, but the chapter Elizabeth had us read for tomorrow's class seems to make a pretty good argument for their use as such. There were a few examples in that article that were unequivocally eugenicized, such as the homogenized family albums (with specific instructions on how to record the physical and mental development of your child from birth to age 18---at which point the eugenicists could then supposedly use the album to support their scientific hypotheses). However, the article didn't define what makes a racist album and what makes a normal one. Is the entire notion of a photo album racist? According to the article, that idea seems to be due to the popularization of albums in post-war magazines geared toward middle-class white women. Without that information though, what inherent properties of a photo-album support that argument? I was confused, or at least left with a few questions. It's true that albums carry with them a certain air of importance. Simply by dint of their physical nature, they are reserved for special occasions. Nobody flips through their own family album on a daily basis. The second article, by bell hooks, made a specific distinction between albums and framed photographs (which can be displayed at all times throughout the house). That article also made a case for childhood documentation as a preserver of familial history in the face of racial oppression. These two articles are dealing with the same topic (albeit in a different circumstance) and they take completely contradictory viewpoints.

Most of my baby pictures are safely tucked away in albums, far from public view. However, a few have made the transition to frame life. They sit on shelves or desks or what have you, but they don't get much more notice than the albums do. I think it ultimately boils down to the nature of your family, and how important images are to that group. Personally, I haven't had a picture taken of me in years (probably not since prom), and I occasionally lament the loss of these years toward posterity. Then I remember that my place in this world is next to nothing, and it doesn't seem so important any more. Concerning these two articles, I would ask: "No matter what the conceived point, how does this collection of photographs matter outside of this familial bond?" The answer, in almost every case, is that it matters not.