McClellan Street [Hardcover]

Peter Turnley (Photographer), David Turnley (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

More than 100 black-and-white images of a working-class neighborhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 1970s grace the pages of this photo-essay produced by acclaimed photographers David and Peter Turnley. These hauntingly beautiful, raw and real photographs documenting life on McClellan Street were taken by the Turnley twins with a single camera as a high-school project. Although the brothers did not grow up on McClellan Street, their photographs represent a very personal, sincere, direct, and loving interaction with life on a street in the heartland of America. Many of the McClellan Street residents had migrated from Appalachia and some were of Hispanic origin. In a neighborhood that many might have ignored, the young Turnleys saw beauty, diversity, and wonderment. With a maturity beyond their years, they captured the life of this community for future generations.

Published with the generous support of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and the Institute for Advanced Study at Indiana University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The pictures reach a very high standard individually and collectively, and like good music deserves repeated hearings, I think this book will prove well worth going back to look at again and again." —The Online Photographer, April 3, 2008

(The Online Photographer 2008)

"These photographs reveal a respect and sensitivity for the humanity of their subjects." —B&W, March 2008

(B&W 2008)

"Presents a glimpse of what makes a photographer great.... A terrific publication." —Picture, Jan/Feb 2008

(Picture 2008)

"What makes this book even more impressive is the fact that the twin photographers—now world-renowned—were in high school when it was shot. Worthy of a spot on your coffee table." —Indianapolis Business Journal, October 8, 2007

(Indianapolis Business Journal 2007)

"In a few words, these photographs are presented as works of art. Or journalism. Or history. Or sociology." —The Journal Gazette, October 28, 2007

(The Journal Gazette 2007)

"Capturing a complex reality through silently observed moments, the Turnleys offer us an extraordinary keyhole through which to view the integrity of a workaday life." —Ann Arbor News, April 6, 2008

(Ann Arbor News 2008)

The Turnleys' images are anything but outdated. Indeed, their pictures are warm, intimate, and evocative. The pictures invite the reader to walk the streets and enter homes with an immediacy and emotional connection that is in the highest traditions of documentary photography.... I marvel that high school students could have taken them!Steve Raymer, author of Images of a Journey: India in Diaspora

(Steve Raymer, author of Images of a Journey: India in Diaspora )

From the Author

From Steve Raymer, author of Images of a Journey: India in Diaspora
The Turnleys' images are anything but outdated. Indeed, their pictures are warm, intimate, and evocative. The pictures invite the reader to walk the streets and enter homes with an immediacy and emotional connection that is in the highest traditions of documentary photography. . . . I marvel that high school students could have taken them!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press; First edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253349672
• ISBN-13: 978-0253349675
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 11.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable Photographic Essay From The Brothers Turnley in Their Youth, February 29, 2008

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McClellan Street (Hardcover)

Inspired by some of our great street photographers in the 1960s, especially by Bruce Davidson's classic work, the Turnley brothers chose to turn their photographic lenses on their neighbors in their Midwestern town when they were in their late teens. "McClellan Street" was such an impressive body of work, that it quickly caught the attention of Magnum Photo photographers. Since then both brothers have become renowned documentary and studio photographers, covering everything from the Olympics to riots in Europe and Asia. But here, in their first photo essay - now the subject of a superbly printed book - David and Peter Turnley demonstrate not only a fine eye for detail but ample compassion for their subjects, in the best tradition of a W. Eugene Smith (Incidentally, an exhibition of this work is currently on display at New York City's Leica Gallery. It was there a few weeks ago, that I had the pleasure of meeting both photographers and have them autograph my copy of their book.). Through their lenses and film, the brothers Turnley have depicted the inhabitants of McClellan Street not only with ample compassion, but a superb sense of dignity too, with photographic skills that were truly far more advanced than their then youthful years.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational/Beautiful! Thanks for using your natural giftedness!, November 3, 2007

By 

Peek_Inside_Books - See all my reviews

This review is from: McClellan Street (Hardcover)

I was lucky enough to get to hear Peter speak last night at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. During my high school years, I was so excited about photography. I chose to not follow through with studies in Photojournalism; and at times I can't help but think back and ponder "what if... ." Last night was one of those evenings... . Hearing about the life of the two brothers was not only an informative, but a highly motivational experience. The focus and inginuity the two possessed during their high school years was intense; and this book is testament to that fact. Not only is the technical aspect of the printing intensely beautiful, but the design aspects of the images in terms of perspective and framing are absolutely incredible. Attention to aspects of subject choice, composition, and mood are a reflection of what they must have felt in their hearts and minds. The chance to hear about their friends, school, and societal aspects helped create a real cohesiveness when viewing the images at the FWMoA. Happiness, moroseness, uncertainty, and contemplation describe some of the moods in the environment. It is quite obvious that the members of the McClellan neighborhood looked at these boys as familiar and welcome fixtures, rather than intruders. Thank you to the Turnleys and the members of the neighborhood for an exciting visual journal.

As an Art teacher, I think it would be fantastic for high school students interested in photography to take a loook at this collection. Purchase this one for your budding photographer!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars McCellan Street: A Story of a Neighborthood, May 25, 2009

By 

Scott L. Gibson (Alpharetta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McClellan Street (Hardcover)

McCellan Street is a photo essay of the people who lived in this working class neighborhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fortunately, two high school students, David and Peter Turnley, captured the life and vitality of the people of McCellan Street before it before it fell victim to one of the city's urban renewal projects. Following this project in the early 1970s, the Turnley brothers would go on to become two of the most respected photojournalists in their profession. Their black and white photographs are powerful. Each photograph tells a story. Everytime I look at the photographs in McClellan Street, I see something new. People familiar with the Turnleys will recognize the themes of hope and optomism that appear in much of their work. This book should be required reading for all serious students of photography.