Regarding Emma: Photographs of American Women and Girls (Hardcover)

by Melissa Ann Pinney (Author), Ann Patchett (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"In reviewing the technically brilliant and elegantly composed photographs that make up Melissa Ann Pinney's Regarding Emma, I was stuck by just how fluid time becomes over the arc of so many fastidious frames. . . . We can't trust time because time cannot be trusted, because time is elastic and plays tricks. The girl is the woman and the woman is the girl. The first of anything-first moon, first clutch of flowers-is but an echo of all that has already gone before. This is the story Regarding Emma so movingly tells, as Pinney thoughtfully juxtaposes photographs of her own daughter with photographs from a series she calls `Feminine Identity.' Compassionately constructed, shockingly vivid and lovingly introduced by writer Ann Patchett, this is a book that stirs the heart."-Beth Kephart, Chicago Tribune (Beth Kephart Chicago Tribune 20031101)

"Inspired by the birth of her daughter, Emma, and dedicated to her departed mother, Regarding Emma is a provocative collection of complex, allegorical images of girls and women and the mysterious world they inhabit."-Paul Brown, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Paul Brown Seattle Post-Intelligencer 20031001)

"Melissa Ann Pinney is making powerful art. In matters of light, color, and composition she is flawless. But these are not simply constructions of elements. These photographs bear witness to the speed at which the little girl becomes the old woman, to the fleeting, breathless beauty of childhood, to life itself, which leaves us stunned in its wake."--Ann Patchett, from the Foreword (Ann Patchett )

Product Description
For more than fifteen years, Melissa Ann Pinney has been making photographs of girls and women, from infancy to old age, to portray how feminine identity is constructed, taught, and communicated. Her work depicts not only the rites of American womanhood--a prom, a wedding, a baby shower, a tea party--but the informal passages of girlhood: combing a doll's hair, doing laundry with a mother, smoking a cigarette at a state fair. With each view, we gain a greater understanding of the connections between mother and daughter, and by extension the larger world of family, friends, and society.

Pinney's approach to interpreting girlhood became more complicated and complex when her daughter, Emma, was born eight years ago. Emma's childhood evoked in Pinney her own girlhood and gave her work new meaning and purpose. Ultimately, Regarding Emma shares with all of us the incremental and the ritualistic changes that take place in a woman's life over time. Her photographs are artistic and social documents that reveal the subtle and bold aspects of feminine identity--documents whose reach will extend well beyond the walls of America's leading galleries and museums into the hearts and homes of everyday Americans.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Center for American Places; 1 edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930066147
• ISBN-13: 978-1930066144
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 10.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,496,819 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book For the Women I Admire, June 28, 2008

By	Victoria L. Miklautsch "Bobbi Ashley" (Chicago) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book after seeing a segment about the author on TV and I was not disappointed. The photos are beautiful, thought provoking and make me aware of the bonds between women in my family.

While I bought it in the Spring, I plan on buying more and giving them as Christmas gifts for special women that come into my life this year.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Work of Art, November 24, 2003

By	"raiya713" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Pinney's photographs are breathtaking and moving- the superb composition, color and lighting engage the viewer and suck them into the familiar scenes that document the lives, rituals and relationships of females. Some of the photos were taken in the early 80's and it's interesting to see how time hasn't changed much regarding womens' roles in society and family life; if it weren't for the clothes or dated hairdo, they could've been taken today. Pinney's perspective is refreshing and through her eyes we find very special everyday moments immortalized, moments that we would have never given a second thought (i.e. women changing diapers at Disneyworld) I highly recommend this book of fine-art documentary photography, and also, would like to add that the recommendation amazon suggests above, women photos (of singles), has nothing to do with this book.