The Laughter and the Camera

The French philosopher Henri Bergson believed that laughter holds a special place in people's lives together: he described it as a "social gesture" that makes it possible for people to deal with the new and unfamiliar.

The Laughter and the Camera presents the birth of photography and its victory march through the 19th century from a previously little-considered perspective: laughter in the new medium. Caricatures, handbills and satirical cartoons exemplify its gradual emergence in society. Authored by Rolf H. Krauss, professor of photography at the University of Stuttgart, this richly illustrated volume contains original texts and visual material of the time. In a handsome square format with a bound ribbon bookmark, this is a delightful and original book on the early days of photography.