Customer Reviews

After Ninety

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A thin book indeed with only 111 pages, 107 black and white photographs of people over the age of 90. But how many of such books exist and why would you want to own such a book? The answer will depend on your current perceptions.

Imogen Cunningham had been a portrait photographer for most of her life having photographed Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and many other well-known artists. She chose to make this third volume of her photographs in 1976 at the age of 92; and would die one year later before it could be published. She set about finding people over 90 who were independent spirits and still fully involved in their profession or a new profession they had chosen.

Her straightforward black and white studies reveal the way we are at the end of life; in a face, an expression, a gesture, a posture.

The captions are as revealing as the photographs themselves. My favorite on p.48:

"She said `when we were young, we were all puritans, and all we talked about was whether it was right or it was wrong, and then I married a man from Sardinia.'"

A treasure.

I have wanted a copy of this book since it was published,
Besides loving Imogen Cunningham's work, I knew one of the subjects, so being able to purchase this book at an affordable price was pretty great.