The Unintended: Photography, Property, and the Aesthetics of Racial Capitalism

The Unintended examines the developments and innovations in photography at the end of the nineteenth century, when Western modernity was reshaping the world. It explores how legal thinking through photographic lenses reinscribed a particular aesthetics of whiteness in the conceptions of property ownership. The book proposes that tracking and analyzing the sensed horizons of intention, control, autonomy, will, and volition offers a way to understand how white supremacy functions. It provides a historically-specific vantage on the everyday workings of racial capitalism and the inheritances of white supremacy that structure so much of our lives.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 26 June 2023
Publisher: New York University Press

The end of the nineteenth century marked a significant period of advancements and innovations in photography, coinciding with the rapid transformations brought about by Western modernity, including industrialization, racialization, and capitalism. This transformative era witnessed a surge in the development and application of photography, which played a pivotal role in shaping the world around us. However, The Unintended takes a different approach by slowing down the moment when photography seemed to accelerate its own history, particularly the history of racial capitalism. It delves into the substantial shifts in photography's markets, mediums, and forms during a legally murky period at the end of the nineteenth century.

Monica Huerta, the author of The Unintended, explores the intricate and paradoxical ways in which legal thinking through photographic lenses reinscribed a specific aesthetics of whiteness in the conceptions of property ownership. By tracing the connections between the histories of performance and portraiture, alongside the legal frameworks, the book seeks to unravel the logics by which property rights involving photographs are affirmed or denied in landmark court cases and legal texts.

One of the key themes of The Unintended is the emphasis on the making of "expression" into property. Huerta argues that designations of controls' absence are central to the practice and idea of property-making. By focusing on the ways in which cameras do not invent but rather emphasize the existing controls, the book highlights the limitations of control and the complexities of property ownership.

The Unintended proposes a novel approach to understanding how white supremacy functions by tracking and analyzing the sensed horizons of intention, control, autonomy, will, and volition. By examining these horizons, the book offers a historically-specific vantage point on the everyday workings of racial capitalism and the inheritances of white supremacy that structure so much of our lives.

Through its unique historical reading practice, The Unintended provides a valuable contribution to the field of photography studies and beyond. It challenges us to reimagine our understanding of photography as a tool for expression and control and encourages us to consider the broader social and political implications of our photographic practices. By exploring the intersections of law, history, and aesthetics, The Unintended offers a fresh perspective on the complexities of our contemporary world and the ongoing legacies of racial capitalism.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479812400