ABSTRACT
The history of photojournalism is closely related to the technological and economic developments of both the photographic apparatus and of the media in general. For a generation of photographers, the development of smaller, more portable cameras that could be hand held and used roll film was a radical and transformative liberation. Hie 1920s saw a number of technological developments that accelerated the dominance of visual material in mainstream media publications. Wire transmission of photographs became possible in 1921, and new printing processes enabled cheaper, higher-quality reproductions. Photographers were encouraged to develop their ideas in depth and to 'shoot around' the subject, expanding the narrative of the story. What made this such a formative period in the development of photojournalism was the combination of editorial space to display extended bodies of work on socially relevant themes, with the financial means to support photographers as they worked on stories for substantial periods of time.
