Pictorialism

An aesthetic movement in photography during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that focused on composition, light and subject matter rather than accurate representation of reality. It was first suggested in the writings of Henry Peach Robinson in his book Pictorial Effect of Photography (1869). Alfred Stieglitz, Clarence H White and Alvin Coburn were among the American photographers who had a significant influence on the movement. In India, photographers such as Shapoor Bhedwar, Jehangir S Taraporewala, Pestonji S Batliwala and Karl Khandalawala were also making photographs with a distinct pictorial and artistic quality to them.