Comics readers and readings: a visual history (years 1930-1950)

Abstract

Comic books were established as a new format for publishing comics in the United States during the 1930s. Their consumption introduced new practices of reading and destabilized well-established conceptions about the social place of reading. The impact of comic books between the 1930s and 1950s can be noted by a series of photographic images dedicated to comic book readers. The article discussed such images, aiming to analyze their representations as agents who contributed to configure the public meanings of comics in that context. The conclusion points to the place of comics and visuality in a wider history of reading.

Keywords:
Comics; Photography; Visual History; History of Reading