Customer Reviews

Young America: The Daguerreotypes Of Southworth & Hawes

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I first received this catalogue from Amazon, and thoroughly enjoyed it, then went soon after to see the exhibit at ICP in New York. The book reproduces the magnificent images beautifully, and was an interesting and illuminating adjunct to the exhibit itself. It is an amazingly comprehensive catalogue of the output of this studio, and it was as interesting to see the smaller, little-known images as it was to see the more familiar, gorgeous whole-plate portraits and scenes we have seen for years. A must-have for anyone who loves American daguerreotypes.

From 1845 to 1862 Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes maintained a famous photography studio, using the most famous personalities of their times as subjects and also capturing on film some of the most notable of events and places. Their focus was fine art photography rather than simple portraiture, and their daguerreotypes thus captured more than factual images alone, adding touches which captured historic and cultural elements. YOUNG AMERICA accompanies an exhibition of the same name and packs in over a hundred color reproductions plus nearly 2,000 black and white illustrations. Editor Grant Romer is Director of the Advanced Program in Photography Conservation at George Eastman House, and Brian Wallis is Director of Exhibitions and Chief Curator at the International Center of Photography: together these scholars create not just a catalog, but a historical survey of the daguerreotype process and Southworth and Hawes' influences on photographic achievement as a whole. The wealth of images packed into the book alone would make it a highly recommended pick; the focus on daguerreotype history and Southworth and Hawes' lasting achievements make it essential for any serious art collection.