Visualising invisibility: photography and physical anthropology in Norway¹

Abstract

This article explores how photographs of Sámi peoples were used in the context of Norwegian physical anthropology in the interwar period, but also how they are re-appropriated in the Lule Sámi community in Tysfjord today. It also demonstrates how photography as used in in the Norwegian racial research publications, although designed to highlight physical characteristics, also include references to cultural characteristics and context. Such inclusion of cultural markers and contextual information may be understood as a strategy to overcome the failure of the scientific community to isolate race as a biological fact. The photographs worked to secure "evidence" where evidence could not be found. This strategy is based on the abundancy, or excess of meaning, of the photographic image as such. The article argues that it is precisely this photographic excess that is the key to understanding why and how photography contributed to establish credibility to a scientific discipline in continuous struggle and with frequent breakdowns. The abundancy, or photographic excess, is also a key to understand how photographs that once were used as instruments of racial research, over time have undergone a series of transmutations of functions and meanings. Thus, racial photographs may acquire new meanings when circulating in time and space.

Colourising the past: Digital visual repatriation of colourised Sámi photography

“…Many of the early portraits of Sámi people originate from race research, either by Nordic researchers or by visiting anthropologists who used photography as a visual supplement to anthropometric data (Baglo 2001(Baglo , 2011Nielssen 2018). When working with such photos, Somby made sure to mention that they were produced for race research, arguing that his non-Sámi followers, especially, might not be aware of this part of colonial history.…”

“…Since race was considered to be evident from one's physical appearance, photography was used to racialise the Sámi. From the 1860s to World War II, anthropometric photos were used to support race theories that had harsh consequences in terms of informing discriminatory minority policies (Baglo 2001(Baglo , 2008(Baglo , 2011Lundström 2008;Mattson 2014;Nielssen 2018). The Sámi were also depicted in other photographic genres, such as in scenes used for postcards, travel literature, and tourist brochures.…”

Jejak Citra Kuno Orang Tenganan dalam Foto Masa Kolonial 1920-1940

“…Posisi foto diambil dalam bentuk potret mengindikasikan foto diambil sengaja untuk keperluan pendataan antropologis, yaitu studi ilmiah tentang karakteristik fisik. Latar belakang foto yang kosong dan bersih tergolong adalah ciri lain yang ada dalam standar foto antropologi fisik (Evans, 2013;Kjellman, 2016;Lehtola, 2018;Lydon, 2005;Nielssen, 2018). Model foto potret (portrait) untuk memudahkan yang melihatnya perbedaan ras dan melakukan konfirmasi untuk mengidentifikasi ciri-ciri fisik di wajah.…”