The Camera at War: 150 Years of Weaponising Photography

Drawing on an incredible archive of historic and contemporary imagery, former Imperial War Museum photo curator Hilary Roberts charts over 170 years of photographic manipulation in the causes of national morale, subterfuge and control of the winning narrative.

It is said that the camera never lies. But in the arena of war photography, its truth is subject to extreme distortion.

Drawing on an incredible archive of historic and contemporary imagery, former Imperial War Museum photo curator Hilary Roberts charts over 170 years of photographic manipulation in the causes of national morale, subterfuge and control of the winning narrative.

From the American civil war to the conflict in Gaza and Ukraine, this book delves into the to the practices of both professional and amateur conflict photographers - exploring the hows and whys of image distortion. By examining the consequences, Hilary also contemplates their enduring impact on our understanding of history, providing a nuanced perspective on the intricate interplay between images, truth, and the complexities of war.

Hilary Roberts is an independent curator of photography. She joined the Imperial War Museum’s (IWM) Photograph Archive as a junior curator in 1980. As the Archive’s Head Curator (1996-2013), she oversaw the development of IWM’s photographic collections and the Archive’s transition to digital photography, before moving to a research role.

A specialist in the history and practice of conflict photography, Hilary has numerous broadcasts, publications and exhibitions to her name, including IWM’s highly praised trilogy of exhibitions Don McCullin: Shaped by War (2010-2012), Cecil Beaton: Theatre of War (2012) and Lee Miller: A Woman’s War (2015-2016). Hilary was awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s Award for Curatorship in 2017.