Imperfect Beauty

For years, and more recently with Vogue magazine, there has been considerable controversy about high fashion magazines and their need to “perfect” the models who appear within the magazines and especially on their covers. This desire for perfection in photography is certainly not new to fashion or photography, but the fashion industry goes to extremes in changing body styles to what they think we want to see.

With that in mind, this week I have selected 26 photographic images with either deliberate or accidental flaws. Marks, scratches, poor processing, decay, age deterioration, repairs, cracks, tears, rips, and more. Here’s to the beauty of imperfect images, and to the beauty to be found in imperfection.

Click on any image to find the source.

Total eclipse of moon on cracked glass plate

Photo by Miroslav Tichý

Mirror-reversed daguerreotype of the moon, attributed to John W. Draper, believed to have been taken March 26, 1840 from his rooftop observatory at New York University.

Torn and Marked Photograph of Hands

Pieced together photograph of young man

Repaired photograph

Retouched press photo

Badly deteriorated photo of 19th century gentleman

Artist unknown, possibly intentional manipulation of old photograph

Marked on photograph

Natural deterioration of photograph

Glass plate photograph of painting in extreme decay
Collection of John Foster

Nicely torn image of woman

Decayed or damaged negative from The Turconi Collection

Decayed or damaged negative from The Turconi Collection

Collection of John Foster

Haphazardly cut photo for publication

Effect of the heat!

Deteriorated photograph

Oddly deteriorated emulsion

Deteriorated glass plate of Missouri bridge
Collection of John Foster

Deteriorated glass plate of Missouri riverboat
Collection of John Foster

Intentionally damaged photo, collection of © Nick Osborne, The Boat Lullabies

Intentionally damaged photo, collection of © Nick Osborne, The Boat Lullabies

Deteriorated photo, collection of © Nick Osborne, The Boat Lullabies

Extremely damaged photo, collection of © Nick Osborne, The Boat Lullabies