During the 1970s, photography became much cheaper, easier and faster due to modern technology, better organization of workflow and changes in the photography industry with more chain formation, self-service and mail order. This led to increased use of cameras in business and administration, where photography gradually became an efficiency-enhancing work tool.
In tonight's lecture, we will take a closer look at this double rationalization: how the photography industry became more efficient and how the use of photography increased in administration and business. These were processes that were both part of the post-war focus on productivity growth through time and cost cuts, and which were built on an understanding of the camera and photography as mechanical and invisible distributors of information.
Thale Sørlie and Anja Hysvær Langgåt are currently working on the book "Invisible to the Present - on how photography has changed Norway after 1945", published by Press in 2025.
Speaker Anja Hysvær Langgåt (b. 1983) is a photo historian and conservator at the Norwegian Folk Museum. She has a master's degree in history from the University of Oslo. Anja's main interest is the business history of photography and she has published several scholarly articles about the Norwegian photo industry.
Speaker Thale Sørlie (b. 1982) is a photo historian, photo archivist and group leader for the collection at The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology. She has a master's degree in the history of ideas from the University of Oslo and a bachelor's degree in photography from the University of Gothenburg. Thale is particularly interested in how photography is used in science, pedagogy and medicine. She has published articles on, among other things, photography and climate change, and photography and physical anthropology.
