Authors: Holly Biesinger
Mentors: Ran Qi
Insitution: Southern Utah University
This study analyzes important intersections in the relationship that photography had with polygamy from the year 1878, when the gelatin dry-plate method of photography became commercialized, to 1953, when the Short Creek Raids occurred. The study focuses on the polygamist faction within the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), specifically the group that later evolved into the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). It is important to note that not all members of the original Mormon church were polygamists, and as such this study does not represent the church as a whole. Additionally, it is important to note that the entire history of polygamy or photography will not be addressed, but key points of intersection will be acknowledged. This study describes how photography that contained polygamist subjects shifted over time and established a narrative for the outside general public to understand.