ABSTRACT
Atrocity photographs are images depicting violence against particular individuals that reference a broader social and political condition. Such photographs do not necessarily present violent acts but can bear witness to the violence; they may also be party to the violence. It is unclear, however, whether the term ‘atrocity photography’ is in fact a useful lens through which to view historic images. This essay considers two photographs of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was captured by a Comanche war band in 1836, as examples of atrocity photography in order to examine how the label acts upon both photographs and viewers.
