If photography is allowed to stand in for art in some of its functions it will soon supplant or corrupt it completely thanks to the natural support it will find in the stupidity of the multitude. It must return to its real task, which is to be the servant of the sciences and the arts, but the very humble servant, like printing and shorthand which have neither created nor supplanted literature.

Summary

This quote suggests that if photography is mistakenly treated as a replacement for art, it runs the risk of overshadowing and diluting the true essence of art. The quote warns against the danger of allowing the general public's ignorance to support and promote this substitution. Instead, photography should be recognized for its true purpose as a tool that serves the sciences and arts, akin to printing and shorthand, which do not replace literature but act as humble servants to it.

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