Spivak's Photography

Some of Spivak's biggest data collection efforts were the photographs he took of prisoners and prison conditions in Georgia. Above are four such photographs, and the annotations that Spivak wrote on the backside of the prints. Within the over 100 photographs taken, the injustice of the Georgia prison system was captured. 

In addition to photographs like the ones exhibited here, Spivak documented the methods of torture inflicted on black convicts in the prisons and chain gangs. These photos were as shocking to encounter to Spivak's northern, white audience as they are now. All of Spivak's photographs were very effective in revealing the horrors of the Georgia prisons, and were used as evidence to keep Robert E. Burns, author of his biography I am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!, from extradition.

While these photographs were pivotal pieces of evidence that convinced Spivak's audience of the truth of his claims, they also call into question the ethics behind investigative photography. It can be argued that, no matter their intention, white authors often perpetuate centuries-old stereotypes and do a disservice to the people or community they are trying to inform on. How accurate can Spivak’s account be when he is a white man trying to speak for the black convicts? Spivak’s photographs inform Brown’s thesis by showing black convicts who are being photographed by a white man, who is accompanied by guards or wardens, and who have no say in the matter. While Spivak’s photos can show factually what was happening, how accurately do they represent the convicts themselves, and their individual, human struggle?

These photographs were effective with Spivak's audience because they believed in the unbiased power of photography. This is often not the case. Spivak, as a photographer, chose his frames and subjects. It is impossible to expect Spivak to document every aspect of every Georgia prison system, but we can expect that he chose shots that would support his thesis.

None of this is to discount Spivak's photographs or work in Georgia. On the contrary, John L. Spivak novel, coupled with his photography, is investigative work on par with other Progressive Era muckrakers such as Ida Tarbell and Upton Sinclair. It is important to understand how Spivak's mere presence in the prison affected the content of his photography, and how this method of investigative photography may not be the most ethically sound method today.