New Books Network Jorge Coronado, “Portraits in the Andes: Photography and Agency, 1900-1950” (U Pittsburgh Press, 2018)
Nov 9, 2025
Join Jorge Coronado, a Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Northwestern University and author of 'Portraits in the Andes,' as he delves into the powerful intersection of photography and identity in the Andean region. He discusses how the Cuzco School of Photography helped reshape modernity, revealing complexities of indigeneity and representation. Coronado highlights the nuances in how Andeans adopted photographic practices, contrasts scientific and consumer perspectives, and examines the politics of image-making and ownership within rural and urban contexts.
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Hand-Painted Photo Used For Cover
- The book cover is a hand-colored 'photo olio' painted by the sitter's brother to simulate color.
- Coronado chose it because it visually communicates studio portrait practices and allowed a color plate in the book.
Photography As Consumable Modernity
- Photography became a marker of technological modernity available to many as cameras got cheaper in the early 20th century.
- Coronado reframes photos from purely scientific records to consumable objects shaped by buyers and makers.
Subjects Learned Visual Language From Elites
- Everyday Andeans learned poses and postures by observing elite and foreign photographic models.
- They adapted and inserted objects and body language to craft self-representations in studio portraits.
