Weegee showed us the outside of the body. The next generation will show us the inside of the soul. And we will look—because we always do. Are you interested in prints or high-resolution scans of historical taboo photographs? Contact the archive for acquisition details. To read more about the legal battles surrounding "captured taboos top" censorship laws, click here.
The photograph of Gordon’s whipped back is evidence. The photograph of a dying David Kirby is a plea. The photograph of Abu Ghraib is an indictment. When you view these images, you are not merely a tourist. You are a witness. captured taboos top
Moore, nude, heavily pregnant, holding her breasts, stared directly into the lens. Newsstands in Middle America refused to display the issue. Religious groups called it pornography. Yet, the issue sold out in days. Weegee showed us the outside of the body
Photographers like J.T. Zealy were commissioned by Harvard biologists to produce daguerreotypes of enslaved people with exposed backs to "prove" racial inferiority (the "Zealy daguerreotypes" are a captured taboo themselves, showing the obscenity of "scientific" racism). However, the true rupture came with the carte de visite portraits of figures like Frederick Douglass or the anonymously photographed "Gordon," who showed his scarred back to the world. Are you interested in prints or high-resolution scans