Birdwhistell, Hall, Lomax and the Origins of Visual Anthropology

This commentary' calls for an appreciative but rigorous, critical analysis of three pioneering figures in the anthropology of human movement and visual aspects of human communication. I maintain that their many theoretical and methodological contributions require historical contextualization, taking into account earlier paradigms, subsequent developments, and alternative approaches. The essay makes a number of suggestions for developing a more satisfying historical framework and raises topics for further discussion.