Eugenics in Photography by Trevor Blondin

Portraiture is something that has been a commonplace in art since man painted  inside caves. Naturally as time progressed and people became more skilled, new techniques were created, and new technology was made, the level of closeness to reality became much higher. Particularly skilled artists could tell a story with just a single painting of a single person. They could make you feel like you knew the subject your whole life and knew every detail about them. The invention of photography brought the level of reality in art to almost even ground. The idea of telling a story with someones portrait did not fade as it now became easier to convey. The problem with making it easier to sway viewers the artists opinion is that sometimes the artists opinion is detrimental to an equal society. In the 19th century the idea of Eugenics took a hold of some places in Europe and made its way to the US in the early twentieth century. Some people believed that non white Anglo Saxon Americans were a burden to society and were ruing the country. "efforts to regulate the growing urban presence of the 'dangerous classes,' of a chronically underemployed sub-proletariat." (Sekula 345) Contests were held throughout America to find the most "fit"(ideal) family. "Fit" of course meaning middle class Anglo Saxon families. Their pictures would be taken and plastered on newspapers and magazines all across the nation.

                                        Winner of Fitter Family Contest, Kansas State Fair, 1927