Photography and Typologies

Typology is the study of classification and types. This can range from the Victorian studies on ear shapes and sizes to the studies that the Bechers did on grain silos and factories.

Typology has always been important, even today. If a new species of animal is discovered, it is classifed straight away to determine which animal family it belongs to. When a new baby is born, it is weighed and measured to see if it is an average size. Typology started out mainly to record and classify criminals and create an average. The Victorians seemed to think that by overlaying a series of images of criminals that had committed a certain crime, they could determine what that type of criminal would look like. They could give themsleves an average. This sounds slightly farfetched to us today, because we know better than to think that only certain people commit certain crimes. However, i came across an article recently that showed that some people think that this idea of an average is still relevant today.

In Thursday 10th Feb's issue of 'The Sun' newspaper there was an article that showed more than 30 faces of women from around the world. Photographs had been taken of over 100 women in different cities around the world and overlayes, depending on what country they came from. The aim of this was to create an average woman from each country. It seems to suggest that there are women that look like the countries averages somewhere in the world. I find this idea a bit odd if I am honest, mainly because we are so quick to dismiss the Victorian ideas of creating an average criminal and yet we think that this is believable, even though it is the same principle.

We are so quick to dismiss ideas that were from before our time and so quick to believe ideas that are around now, even if they are exactly the same.