Picturing Arizona: The Photographic Record of the 1930s (The Southwest Center Series) [Paperback]

Katherine G. Morrissey (Author), Kirsten Jensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005 | Series: The Southwest Center Series

As cultural documents, as works of art, and as historical records, photographs of 1930s Arizona tell a remarkable story. They capture enduring visions of the Depression that linger in cultural memory: dust storms, Okies on their way to California, breadlines, and ramshackle tent cities. They also reflect a more particular experience and a unique perspective. This book places the work of local Arizonans alongside that of federal photographers both to illuminate the impact of the Depression on the state’s distinctive racial and natural landscapes and to show the influence of differing cultural agendas on the photographic record. The more than one hundred images—by well-known photographers such as Dorothea Lange and Laura Gilpin as well as by an array of less familiar photographers—represent a variety of purposes and perspectives, from public to personal, political to promotional. Six essays and three photo-essays bring together prominent authorities in history, the arts, and other fields who provide diverse perspectives on this period in Arizona and American history. Viewed together, the words and images capture a Depression-era Arizona bustling with activity as federally funded construction projects and seasonal agricultural jobs brought migrants and newcomers to the state. They convey the celebrations and the struggles of commercial photographers, archaeologists, city folks, farmers, tourists, native peoples and others in these hard times. As the economic strains of the decade reverberated through the state, local photographers documented the lives of Arizona residents—including those frequently overlooked by historians. As this book persuasively shows, photographs can conceal as much as they reveal. A young Mexican American girl stands in front of a backdrop that hides the outhouse behind her, a deeply moving image for what it suggests about the efforts of her family to conceal their economic circumstances. Yet this image is a perfect metaphor for all the photographs in this book: stories remain hidden, but when viewers begin to question what they cannot see, pictures resonate more loudly than ever before. This book is a history of Arizona written from the photographic record, offering a point of view that may differ from the written record. From the images and the insights of the authors, we can gain a new appreciation of how one state—and its indomitable people—weathered our nation’s toughest times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“From the images and insights of the authors, readers will gain a new appreciation of how one state weathered our nation’s toughest times”—Holbrook Tribune-News “The text helps to fill in some of the gaps in our understanding of Arizona’s history”—Tucson Lifestyle “Picturing Arizona is a moving visual experience, perfectly capturing the grit and history of a bygone Arizona era”—The Midwest Book Review “The images of the local landscape, families, archaeology and lifestyles are unforgettable with each turn of the page.”—Arizona Insight “Read the text. Study the pictures. Put the two together, and you’ll gain an appreciation of how Arizona—and its tenacious inhabitants—weathered some of our toughest times.” —Tucson Weekly

About the Author

Katherine G. Morrissey is Associate Professor of History at the University of Arizona and author of Mental Territories: Creating the Inland Empire.

Kirsten Jensen, previously an archivist in the University of Arizona Library Special Collections, is a doctoral student in art history at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press; 1St Edition edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816522723
• ISBN-13: 978-0816522729
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,882,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Longtime Tucson Resident, February 24, 2006

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Longtime Tucson Resident "Longtime Tucson Res... (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picturing Arizona: The Photographic Record of the 1930s (The Southwest Center Series) (Hardcover)

Whatever potential the book had, it has been lost by printing it in too small a size. The pictures are both unique and interesting but anything other than a close up is much too hard to discern, even with a magnifying glass. The copy is much too verbose and the font painfully small, especially for the probable target reader of such a book, i.e. at least a senior "boomer".

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving visual experience, perfectly capturing Arizona grit and character of a bygone era, December 5, 2005

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picturing Arizona: The Photographic Record of the 1930s (The Southwest Center Series) (Paperback)

Skillfully edited by Associate Professor of History Katherine G. Morrissey and former Arizona Library Special Collections archivist Kirsten Jensen, Picturing Arizona: The Photographic Record Of The 1930s offers more than one hundred images by well-known photographers such as Dorothea Lange and Laura Gilpin, offering a wide range of perspectives on Depression-era Arizona history. A thoughtful text commentary accompanies poignant black-and-white photographs, which reveal an unfolding picture of character, struggle, determination, and ordinary life amid the Arizona desert landscape. Picturing Arizona is a moving visual experience, perfectly capturing Arizona grit and character of a bygone era.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and thought provoking, March 11, 2006

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Frieda Bent (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picturing Arizona: The Photographic Record of the 1930s (The Southwest Center Series) (Paperback)

I love this book. It brings together a great new perspective of the Depression, our government's goals during the New Deal, and views and motives of different photographers of that era. Fascinating to see the empathy of Dorothea Lange reflected in her work, the starry America of Russell Lee, the humor and self esteem of regular folks who took pictures of their families and the ambition of commercial photographers to make a living with their art.