The use of historical photographs as source for cultural histor : the Sammy Marks photograph collection

Abstract

During his sojourn on earth man leaves traces behind. Subsequent generations can follow these traces through research in order to find out more about his forebears. The term document can be interpreted much wider than referring to written material so that different types of material can serve as source from which this knowledge can be drawn. Pictorial sources is one subsection underneath which photographic material in turn resorts. This study looks at the use of historical photographs as source from which the cultural historian can draw information .. Historical photographs are often merely seen and used as illustration material while they are sources in own right. It is the only source which captures and eternalises a moment in time visually. Unfortunately it is still a human with all his faults and deficiencies who stands behind the camera. That means that although the photograph as source is generally speaking very reliable and objective, historical criticism still has to be applied. To err is human, over and above wilful misrepresentation. Furthermore there are certain pitfalls and limitations inherent to the photograph. At the Sammy Marks Museum just east of Pretoria, a large collection of photographs has been preserved which shows the everyday life of the Marks family over a long period of time. By examining these photographs a clear picture can be formed of the everyday life of a well-to-do Victorian family in the Transvaal during the period 1890 to 1920. The actual images captured by the camera tell the story of these people's weal and woe like words cannot do. No source can be all-revealing .on its own. The photographs and the information drawn from them, are supported and confirmed by references and quotations from the personal correspondence of the family of which much has also been preserved. It is kept at the University of Cape Town. The biography of Sammy Marks by Richard Mendelsohn (Cape Town, 1991) as well as other literary sources has been studied and applied. The study also contains a broad background sketch of the period and its spirit. By making comparisons between the findings about the lives of Sammy Marks and his family and what is known generally about the people of the time, one can see to what degree they conformed or differed. The development of photography itself is also. briefly discussed. The historical photographs which were preserved by the Marks family, serve as example of how valuable such photographs are for our knowledge and the eventual reconstruction of the past. Without them the task of the physical restoration of the house, outbuildings and garden to their original shape would have been much more difficult. At the same time and even more important, they breathe life into the house through the information they contain about the people who used to inhabit it.