The Amateur Photographic Pest

Amusing perceptions on the popular hobby of photography.

Photography technology developed rapidly over the course of the 19th century, with Louis Daguerre pioneering the first commercially viable process (the daguerreotype) in the 1830s. The 1850s brought the collodion process and its heavy glass plates, but it wasn’t until the 1870s that further refinements in plate and emulsion composition allowed for the practical snapshots with portable cameras.

This humorous cartoon, issued in a popular British magazine, showcases how the growing hobby was becoming increasingly irritating to the general public. Amateur photographers of all shapes and sizes are setting up their clumsy tripods and capturing an interesting variety of subjects, including an angry moon, a destitute family, and beautiful women. One man appears to be ready to defend his garden from harassing paparazzi by any means necessary!

Based on a drawing by the talented illustrator Harry Furniss, the print was originally published in the October 4, 1890 edition of Punch, or the London Charivari. This particular example was likely issued the following year, as part of a published volume.

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