There are a handfull of art movements from the 20th century, modernism, cubism, abstract expressionism, pop art, etc. One that is as important and certainly more universal is the snapshot photograph. Sure there were some snapshots taken in the 1800's but the form became popular and accessable in the early 1900's. Now that we are in the 21st century, just as many photos if not more are taken, but a small fraction are printed.
I agree it is up for debate, but for me part of the definition of a snapshot is the physical photograph, tossed in a shoebox, or stored in a book, and some favorites stuck to the fridge.
I wanted to share this photo from my small collection first because it represents what make snapshots great. Taken on an important day or holiday, folks dressed up and the composition is not centered. The class clown, there is one in every group, gets your attention, but the great subtle detail is the camera hanging from the neck of the girl on the right. I think it is a Panda camera by Ansco. A small box camera of the day trying to compete with Kodak.
A camera in every house, documenting life like nothing had before.
