The role of photo agencies remains a blind spot in the history of photography. Emerging in the beginning of the 20th century to »satisfy the picture-hunger of modern man« (Tschichold), they transformed photography into a commodity. As catalysts for the picture market and through the creation of systematic collections, these companies shaped our western visual culture. The 1920s, 1930s and 1990s, in particular, ushered a paradigm shift in the economy of the medium, marked by major technological developments and the rise of new markets. Taking the example of the Bettmann Archive and Corbis – one of the world’s largest photo agencies, founded by Bill Gates – the book »Banking on Images« inquires into the criteria used in selecting these images, the way in which the value of a commercial »image bank« is determined, and the concept of photography that lies behind it.
←
Banking on Images
![](/f/book/419.jpg)
Leipzig April, 2016
ISBN: 9783944669632
Edition Number: 1
Width: 16 cm
Length: 23 cm
Language(s): English
Author
Estelle Blaschke
Designer
Helmut Völter
![](/f/bookgallery/1429.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1430.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1431.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1432.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1433.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1434.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1435.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1436.jpg)
Banking on Images
From the Bettmann Archive to Corbis
Estelle Blaschke
![](/f/book/419.jpg)
224 pp.
with numerous black/white illustrations
thread-sewn paperback
Leipzig April, 2016
ISBN: 9783944669632
Edition Number: 1
Width: 16 cm
Length: 23 cm
Language(s): English
Author
Estelle Blaschke
Designer
Helmut Völter
![](/f/bookgallery/1429.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1430.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1431.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1432.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1433.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1434.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1435.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1436.jpg)
![](/f/bookgallery/1437.jpg)