Reviews for American photographs

The average rating for American photographs based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-09-24 00:00:00 Christopher Murray The American Photographs Of Walker Evans This celebrated book of Walker Evans (1903 -- 1975), "American Photographs", has a long history. In 1938, the Museum of Modern Art presented an exhibition of Evans' photographs taken during the late 1920s -- early 1930s. Evans selected and arranged 87 photographs from the exhibit and divided them into two sections of 50 and 37 photos. The Museum of Modern Art published the book that resulted under the title "American Photographs" together with an introductory essay by the noted philanthropist, writer, and impresario, Lincoln Kirstein. Over the years, the book went in and out of print in various editions. The Museum issued a 25th anniversary edition in 1962, which also went out of print, followed by a 50-year anniversary edition in 1988. In 2012, the Museum issued the 75th anniversary edition of Evans' classic. The book recently appeared on the new book shelf of my local library, and I wondered why. The 75th anniversary edition went through its fourth printing in 2019, once more making the book available to new readers. This book is both a work of art and also a moving picture of America. The photographs eloquently and faithfully depict scenes from the Great Depression, capturing rural, small town, and urban America, poor and wealthy, white and black. Most of the photos are from the East Coast, ranging from New England to Alabama and Mississippi with a few photos from Cuba as well. The photos show people, places, and structures of the Era. The two parts of the book represent "People by Photography" in the first and "indigenous American expression" in the second. Evans designed the book carefully. He wanted the reader to view the photographs in the sequence in which they appeared and not to be distracted by text. Thus, the listing of photographs appears at the end of each section. Evans was wise in arranging the book in this way to allow the reader to concentrate both on each individual photograph and on the cumulative impact of the collection. I viewed the photographs several times as Evans had intended and then viewed them with the captions at the back of each section. These photographs are gritty and sad. Some of the individual photographs have become famous and widely reproduced. The photographs in this book capture a harsh and changing time. Even with all the Depression-Era poverty and loneliness, the photos display a strength and a sense of vision. They invite both reflection and a sense of hope. I was glad to find this new printing of Evans' book and to think about his portrait of America. Robin Friedman

Review # 2 was written on 2011-02-27 00:00:00 Tim Binion The Grandaddy of all American Photo books. Beautiful, bleak, mysterious, and one can smell the depression right off the pages. Great.