photogram

[ foh-tuh-gram ]

noun

1. a silhouette photograph made by placing an object directly on sensitized paper and exposing it to light.

photogram

/ ˈfəʊtəˌɡræm /

noun

1. a picture, usually abstract, produced on a photographic material without the use of a camera, as by placing an object on the material and exposing to light
2. obsolete.
   a photograph, often of the more artistic kind rather than a mechanical record

Word History and Origins

Origin of photogram¹

First recorded in 1855–60; photo- + -gram ¹

Example Sentences

“All Is Flux” is particularly abstract and fluid-looking, an inky black and pearly white photogram depicting a stream of water flowing across still water in a tray.

From Los Angeles Times

She also collected dust and dirt swept up while at home for almost three months under covid restrictions, printing one pile of debris each day as a near-abstract photogram.

From Washington Post

His final piece, “Performing Light,” presented at the Richard Saltoun gallery in London in 2019, is represented by a black-and-white “photogram” of his own frail body that ends the show.

From New York Times

An 1841 photogram of a fallen leaf, its dozens of needles each seared into the paper, testifies to Talbot’s ambition to document nature better than any artist.

From New York Times

Sotheby’s was encouraged by the online sale of a rare photogram by László Moholy-Nagy for $524,000 and of Irma Stern’s oil on canvas “Grape Packer” for $531,309.

From New York Times