Abstract:

This article explores an intriguing link between modernity, colonialism, and an aerial visual perspective. The collection of J.S.P. Bradford, an archaeologist who employed aerial photographs as part of his academic work, provides a case study for the investigation into this distinctive visual practice. Aerovisualism appears to act as a persuasive means of knowing the world: “Seen from high in the air, a district holds few secrets.” A close analysis of images from the collection explored here demonstrates a variety of underlying concerns, which often conflict with Bradford’s textual rhetoric. The relationship between aerial visuality and modernity is thus ambiguous and ambivalent, and further investigations on this practice should be undertaken.