Photographs function as proof of history even when fabricated

Evidence

The point here, as Bruno perceptively observes, is that photographs are now construed as evidence of a real history, no matter what the truth of that history may have been. The image is, in short, proof of the reality, and images can be constructed and manipulated. — David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity, 1975

Categorization

• XREF: This connects to Baudrillard’s simulacra and the general postmodern argument that images substitute for and precede reality. — connects to: Photography was used to manufacture visual proof of Dreyfus’s degeneracy — Sherene Razack, Casting Out: The Eviction of Muslims…, 159; History is distorted chiefly through invention backed by fabricated evidence — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 1834; Adding a photo raises the judged truth of any accompanying claim — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 85 (+1 more)
• DEFINE: Clarifies the postmodern inversion where image becomes proof of actuality rather than trace of it.

Broader Connections

• Photography was used to manufacture visual proof of Dreyfus’s degeneracy #exemplifies (0.85) — Sherene Razack, Casting Out, 159
• History is distorted chiefly through invention backed by fabricated evidence #corroborates (0.75) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1834