American Photography: A Century of Images

american photography: a century of images

If you only have one book about photography in your home library, this should be the book. Marilyn Dalrymple, reviewer

This is a truly beautiful, fascinating and informational volume. "American photography: a century of images," traces the history of photography from 1900 to 1999. It is not just the mundane, "cameras were invented--color film made its debut in . . . , or Steichen, Adams Avedon were known for . . . ," however. A blurb from the book's cover notes, "New York Times photography critic Vicki Goldberg and art historian Robert Silberman, senior consultants to the PBS series, show how profoundly photography has helped shape the life of our nation, examining it in the realms of home life, advertising, science, news, propaganda, fashion, and celebrity stardom."

"One of photography's great gifts has always been to make possible many kinds of vicarious experience," says the introduction to an article about National Geographic magazine. Photography brought foreign peoples and foreign places into our homes. On the other hand, "Even our worst faults were put before the world's eyes by our photographers because of the extent of our media industry and the openess of our press," say Goldberg and Silberman. These two examples illustrate the awesome power photography possesses.

The first use of halftone screens and the regular publication of photographs in magazines and newspapers (1897, The New York Tribune); the first American photo magazine (Life); the first horrific photographs of war. The image that showed the stars so clearly that the first catalogue of stellar positions based on photographic measurements appeared in 1885; images that proved scientific theories and made social reform possible. Photographs that showed the world how evil the family of man can be. Images that portray the wonder and beauty of our world. All are illustrated and discussed in this one volume.

Well written, compelling, and beautifully illustrated, this book is well worth the price.

Marilyn Dalrymple


New York Times Book Review, Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999   December 25, 1999
Rosemary Ranck, review author from NYT (New York, N. Y.)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

"...the photography critic Vicki Goldberg and the art historian Robert Silberman have neatly divided the century into three chronological parts and written 30 brief essays, each focusing on notable aspects, from a photographic point of view, of a particular period. From the authors' vantage point, it certainly seems as though the first two-thirds of the century are when the innovation, energy, passion and commitment are, and the last period is more analytical and self-referential -- rather like life itself. There is a photogoraph for each year of the century, plus others to illustrate chosen themes like war photography or the rise of the news agencies. Goldberg (who also writes about photography for The Times) and Silberman have succeeded in bringing a semblance of order to the past century of photography and have given a lively and informative overview of its many facets."