Modern computer technology has made it possible to alter photographs in order to show almost anything one wants. Indeed, this new technology has even been used in motion pictures to insert actors (Woody Allen in Zelig, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump) in historical films. It is important to note, however, that the verisimilitude of photographs has been problematic from the beginning. Photographs are not always accurate in their portrait of reality. The problems with the veracity of photographs has been a major problem in science since the 19th century. This issue is what is being examined in this dissertation research. Despite the significance of photography in science, no detailed study has been made of the production and circulation of scientific and medical photographs from its beginning in late nineteenth century British science. In her dissertation research under the direction of Professor Robert Smith, Ms. Jennifer Tucker is addressing such questions as: How did different disciplinary communities decide if photographic evidence was truthful? In what instances in science was the realism of photography contested, and on what basis? During a preliminary search in Britain in academic year 1994-1995, Ms. Tucker discovered hundreds of original scientific and medical photographs and glass lantern slides in over forty institutions. Most of these images have never been catalogued or reproduced. This grant enables her to reproduce selected scientific photographs from these unique historical archives. She is also traveling to Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona to consult photographs and manuscript correspondence that shed light on debates over astronomer Percival Lowell's controversial photographs of Martian canals. This research promises to greatly enhance our understanding of the nature of evidence and proof in science today.
