‘Picturing Mexico in still and moving images, ca. 1870-1925: strategies for articulating space, and spectatorship in early Mexican actuality film

The essay discusses the dynamics of space and contemplation that characterise the viewing of still and moving images of Mexico made by European and North American visitors to the country towards the end of the nineteenth century. Focusing on representations of the cityscape of Mexico City, and examining the effects of modernisation in images of the Mexican landscape, the essay discusses panoramic images of Mexico, pictorial organisation and the impact of optical registration in early actuality films through mobilised and framed views.