W. E. B. Dubois Analysis

For over a century, photography has been an important way of visual activism, and resistance to societal norms. The first photograph is from W.E.B. DuBois’ collection of the “American Negro” exhibit at the 1900 Paris Exposition. The second photography is from Zanele Muholi’s collection, titled Zukiswa from her black and white portraits of 2010. The critical visual traditions that are represented throughout both of these pieces of photography are meant to respond to acts of violence and dehumanization.
Socially these pieces were created as visual activism, as well as subversive resistance. Both exhibits work to create the idea that people in this situation are part of a larger society where these humans and their practices are not accepted by a lot of society, and even government officials. Both of these exhibits work to create a positive,
The photograph from DuBois’ exhibit definitely shows power and strength through many visual aspects of this one woman’s portrait. First, she is wearing nice clothes, and has her hair pulled back to show that she is beautiful, but also has her own identity separate from the stereotypes that surround her and the community that she is from. Also, how her body is positioned with her upright posture and blank expression looking off into the distance gives of a sense of pride and confidence that stereotypically was not how women of color, or even just women in general are displayed. Muholi’s image has many of the same of the same aspects of photography stylistically, in the way the body is facing, and how it is just a portion of the body. Although, because the woman is looking at the camera directly she changes how her power is expressed. In the first image she looking away like she is above the camera, and the viewer, but Zukiswa is trying to acknowledge the