The politics of truth and falsity in Victorian photography and law

The conference will be held via Zoom platform, because of the Covid-19 pandemic

Time: from 18.00 till 20.00 h.

Abstract

Today, truth, it appears, is being recalibrated with the appearance of new forms of untruth-post-truth, deep fakes, and alternate facts.

Although the quote from a recent conference on "deepfakes"  is contemporary, the same could be said about 19th century British society. With new technologies such as photography, truth claims were being made, and challenged, in every sphere of public life, from policing to medical care and politics – and in people’s private lives.

After discussing some examples from science, exploration, forensic medicine and detective stories, my paper examines the Tichborne Trial (1871-1874), which involved a man who returned from Australia to claim as his inheritance one of the wealthiest estates in England. The talk taps the vast archive of photographs, engravings, and other visual materials that circulated around the trial. In the course of the trial, photographic portraits were transformed into investigative and legal documents. Popular interest in the trial also stimulated a broader public debate about the nature of truth and falsity in the emerging new visual media of the era. Studying the 19th century has important implications for contemporary debates about the social and epistemological impact of new forms of technology.

Keynote speaker

• Prof. Jennifer Tucker, Wesleyan University

Registration

Registration is free but mandatory.
The registration is available until 14 April 2021, at 12.00 Noon

Scientific committee

• Prof. Greta Perletti, University of Trento

Photo taken by Jennifer Tucker (speaker).  Photo courtesy: Marta Weiss