While innumerable words have been written about individual paintings, there have been few attempts at extended analysis of a singular photographic image. This selection of essays by leading critics addresses this startling omission by examining in depth key images from a history of photography dating from 1835 to the present. The selected images are drawn from documentary as well as fine art practice, and also allude to the worlds of fashion and film, highlighting the border disputes that are key to all discourses around art and photography. The authors contribute personal responses to their chosen image, explaining its fascination for them as well as delving into the layers of reference and meaning that make it worth extended contemplation.Works featured include: William Henry Fox Talbot Latticed Window 1835; Charles Nègre Chimney Sweeps 1852; Julia Margaret Cameron Iago, Study of an Italian 1867; Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp Dust Breeding 1920; Bill Brandt A Snicket in Halifax 1937; Diane Arbus A Young Brooklyn Family Going on a Sunday Outing, N.Y C. 1966; Martin Parr Jubilee Street Party, Elland, Yorkshire 1977; Nan Goldin The Hug, NYC 1980; Hiroshi Sugimoto Aegean Sea, Pelion I 1990; Thomas Struth San Zaccaria, Venice 1996; Jeff Wall View from an Apartment 2005.