America and the Daguerreotype (Paperback)

~ John Wood (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With superbly annotated illustrations and interpretive essays by seven contributors, Wood ( The Daguerrotype: A Sesquicentennial Celebration ) commemorates the love affair between the America of the 1840s and '50s and the brand-new image-on-metal photographic process of French inventor Louis Daguerre. While many early daguerrotypes have been lost, Wood has gathered the work of professionals in studios (1000 in New York City by 1855) and countless others. Included are portraits of famous Americans, sentimental studies of children and shots of a lively and confident people busy on farms and in factories, at weddings, river baptisms, band concerts and patriotic parades. Contributor David Stannard comments on the era's preoccupation with morality and death, Peter Palmquis examines the daguerrotypes' role in "selling" the American West and Jeanne Verhulst tells how present-day artists have revived the daguerrotype in the modern idiom.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

As a companion volume to the award-winning The Daguerreotype: A Sesquicentennial Celebration (Univ. of Iowa Pr., 1989), Wood has now edited America and the Daguerreotype . Where the former concentrated on the artistic merits of the silver plate process, the latter explores these jewels of imagery as social and historical documents. Stellar contributors have produced essays, which range from "Sex, Death, and Daguerreotypes" to "The Progress of Civilization: The American Occupational Daguerreotype." A final essay looks at contemporary photographers using the technique. The plates and accompanying notes are well worth the cover price. Collectors, historians, and photo buffs will want their own copies of what is likely to be one of the best photo books of the year. This and the first volume provide a fascinating account of the last 130 years of American cultural history. For most library collections.
- Kathy J. Anderson, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: University of Iowa Press (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877456755
• ISBN-13: 978-0877456759
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,805,856 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)