Visual representations of people experiencing performance date to antiquity. Yet visual culture remains a relatively under-theorized source for the study of historical audiences. Especially throughout the nineteenth century, technological developments in printing increased the circulation of published images, offering a new expansive window onto audiencing, from public spectacle to theater. The twentieth century was the age of photography; news coverage of musical theater, clubs, concerts, sporting events, and other public gatherings yielded a treasure trove of visual information. Overall, the accumulated record of paintings, lithographs, sketches, photographs, cartoons, and other images feature a range of individual spectators or listeners, large crowds, fans, and representations of behaviors like queuing, dancing, cheering, watching, and listening. Some images celebrate the thrill of public events; others are critical, meant to embarrass certain kinds of audience members and stake out positions of social power. Before the digital age, it was difficult to curate audience representations; today, however, the increasing digitization of images from magazines, newspapers, and other ephemera has changed the possibilities for comparison and study. How can scholars make the best sense of this ecology of audience images? For a special themed section of Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, scholars and researchers are invited to explore the ways that we might advance iconographic research for audience studies.
Submissions are welcome from scholars from multiple disciplines and may be of any length, though essays under 10,000 words are preferred. As an online journal, Participations is able to work without the restrictions usually imposed on print journals, including greater opportunity for publishing visual material, provided copyright restrictions are met. For consideration, please submit a 300-word abstract, along with a 100-word biography.