America Through the Lens: Photographers Who Changed the Nation [Hardcover]

Martin W. Sandler (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

"If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera."-Lewis Hine

A stunning view of America as captured by groundbreaking photographers

American history is punctuated by defining moments-some proud, some tragic, some beautiful. Photography has made it possible for these moments to be captured and shared with the public. As the craft has evolved from unwieldy glass negatives to digital imagery, the photographs themselves have changed the way we see the world.

From Mathew Brady's startling Civil War photographs to NASA's stunning images of the universe, this book highlights twelve photographers whose work has truly changed the nation.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up–This book opens with a quote from Matthew Brady, perhaps one of America's best-known photographers: A spirit in my feet said ‘go,' and I went. This quote seems to be the mantra for all of the photographers honored here, 11 American men and women who overcame resistance and adversity to capture America's history with their cameras. Their pictures, plus NASA and NOAA images of space, fill the pages of Sandler's book. The writing is less inspiring than the visuals, which on their own will compel readers to turn the next page. Though the text sets the stage for understanding the times and crises that influenced the photographers' visions, there is too much of it. The photographs are stunning; the text is–well–textbookish. The images easily tell the stories their photographers were documenting; it is unfortunate that the written stories are unlikely to keep readers engaged.–Jodi Kearns, University of Akron, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. In this follow-up to his comprehensive overview Photography: An Illustrated History (2002), author and television producer Sandler offers a welcome collective biography of influential photographers whose work made a lasting impact on American society and the world. The chapter-length profiles begin with Civil War photographer Matthew Brady and move forward through sections on Jacob Riis, Edward Curtis, and James Van der Zee, among others. The final chapter celebrates NASA's photographs of space, which showed the Earth "as just a 'blue marble' in the cosmos." Numerous black-and-white photographs, many unavailable in galley, illustrate the informative chapters that combine compelling biographical narratives with a larger view of the photographers' legacies. Throughout, Sandler touches on the photographers' technical discoveries and accomplishments, but it's the stories of how photographs can inspire people to action and provide a wider, deeper understanding of each other that will affect readers most. A list of further reading concludes. Also suggest Jennifer Armstrong's Photos by Brady (2005) and Susan Goldman Rubin's Margaret Bourke-White (1999). Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (July 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805073671
• ISBN-13: 978-0805073676
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,325,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dozen Profiles of Nation-Changing Photographers, January 17, 2010

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James R. Holland "Author of Boston's Notable ... (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: America Through the Lens: Photographers Who Changed the Nation (Hardcover)

The twelve photographers discussed in this illustrated volume are a fascinating lot. Based on previous knowledge of these photographers this reviewer was only surprised at the inclusion of one of them. Frankly, Toni Frissell was completely unfamiliar. I didn't even know whether the name applied to a man or woman. It turned out to be a woman and it was a pleasure to be introduced to her and her work. According to the author she was the first fashion photographer to move her models and their fashion out of the studio and into the real world. Since I'm not a fashionista it's not surprising I wasn't familiar with her work. To me the early fashion photographer giants were Stieglitz, Steichen and Avedon. Others such as Man Ray, Lee Miller, Irving Penn and Helmet Newton were also familiar to me. But none of those photographers is even mentioned in this book. Their work didn't change the Nation.
The twelfth photographer mentioned is really a group of photographers and technology that have come to us from the Space Program. Their pictures have reached out across space and showed us how small our little blue planet is in the universe. Computer cameras aboard spacecraft and roving robots have shown us even more distant visions. Ditto for the world beneath the sea. Once this later group was included it seems that medical and microscopic photographers had been neglected. Picturing the world of the individual atoms and the world inside the body has certainly made significant contributions to the world in which we live. But that's beside the point.
This book deals with the lives and work of Mathew B. Brady (Changing the Way We View Our World and War), William Henry Jackson (Preserving our Natural Treasures), Frances Benjamin Johnston (Documenting a Rise from Slavery), Jacob Riis (Cleaning Up the Slums), Lewis Hine (Letting Children be Children), Edward S. Curtis (Immortalizing the Native Americans), James Van Der Zee (Revealing African-American Achievement), Dorothea Lange (Bringing Relief to Millions), Marion Post Wolcott (who in a photographic career of less than four years Introduced America to Americans through the Farm Security Administration Project), Margaret Bourke-White (Celebrating Industrious America), Toni Frissell (Moving Fashion outdoors and Changing Attitudes about African Americans) and NASA and NOAA ( Changing Our View of the Universe). Each of these chapters is just about the perfect length to keep the reader entranced while also providing some samples of their photographic images.
There have been hundreds of great photographers but most of them haven't been pioneers in the use of photography in a way that may have changed the course of America. Otherwise other photographers such as William Garnett (aerial photography as art), David Douglas Duncan (another great war photographer and documenter of perhaps the world's greatest artist) and Bradford Washburn (mountain climber explorer and photographer) might also be included. However, this is a wonderful summary of the work of some of the pioneers in photography that changed the face of society in America. The reader has to start somewhere and this is the perfect place.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice and readable introduction to both Photography and History, October 8, 2005

By 

blbooks "Becky" - See all my reviews

This review is from: America Through the Lens: Photographers Who Changed the Nation (Hardcover)

AMERICA THROUGH THE LENS is an extensive look at America spanning two centuries, spanning many ethnicities (white, Native American, African American), spanning economic and social classes (rich and poor) and spanning the Continent (urban, industrial, rural, nature). Featuring the photographs and mini-biographies of twelve photographers, AMERICA THROUGH THE LENS is an excellent introduction to photography and provides a new perspective of American history. It features six male photographers, five female photographers, and a look at corporate photography with its examination of NASA and NOAA photography. If AMERICA THROUGH THE LENS has a premise, it would be that a good photograph can wield great power and has the ability-with proper placement-to change public opinion and actually change the way the nation sees itself and the way the nation ACTS. For example, the photographs of William Henry Jackson prompted the government to begin its creation of NATIONAL PARKS protecting both the land and the wildlife. The photographs of Lewis Hine prompted the government to change its child labor laws. His work with a camera was able to change how children were treated and protected in the future. The examples are many, but Sandler shows how each photographer changed the nation in his/her own unique way.