There is a widely known saying that we are living in the post-truth era right now. Nobody seems to know wherein lies the truth and what appears to be a lie. Everyone can bring up hundreds of contradicting evidences and claim nearly anything they want. There are heaps of information and it is difficult to get a grip of it, to dig deeper for some background information and so people just make claims. It is not much different in photography. We all know of cases where photos have been faked just to be later presented as documentary photography. It has become quite common that items will be added or deleted to and from photos, just to give the photograph the right “air”. Sometimes other artists’ photos are stolen, given a few changes and then presented as a new piece of art. Photoshop seems to be almighty and happily blurs the lines of photography and photo manipulation. This series of photos, however, is taken onto glass negatives, there is no manipulation, everything is presented exactly the way things were. There has been a cover-up of years, even centuries, but the proof is now right in front of you: Turns out that, for instance, smart phones and laptops existed already at the beginning of last century. Not to even mention earphones which monks have been using for a long time in the monasteries. Art can be the source of truth as reality as well.
Already in the 19th century some monasteries has MP3 players and earphones in order to listen to old philosophers’ recordings.
Well-off middle class had Nintendo games already in year 1912.
Some children had smart phones for playing during free time already at the end of 19th century.
Photo from 1897 where a woman in a national costume is working on her laptop in Southern Estonia.
Selfies are also nothing new - this photo is from 1905 and shows nice young ladies taking a photo of themselves with a smart phone.
Photo from 1875, where a young fellow is using a VR mask for presumably trying to contact his ancestors at the cemetery.
People having a picnic, drinking Coca Cola and with a boombox playing some techno for ambience, anno 1928.
Ever since 1927 you could not freely walk down the street without being photographed or filmed.
