An American Century of Photography: From Dry-Plate to Digital: The Hallmark Photographic Collection

Rating:
Summary: Photographic honesty through the use of strong images.
Review: This text chronicles the depth of the Hallmark Cards photography collection through a carefully developed and well written scholarly history. Curator and author Keith F. Davis addresses the fundamental value of photographic imagery as demonstrated by many of the most significant makers in the past one hundred years. Using as a basis a single country's development (America) in the medium's history, Davis sets out his argument that many if not all successful photographs are inherently about the truthfulness of the images produced. He does not over interpret the documented images to establish a point of view but rather allows the flow of the photographs to reveal a rich tapestry of imagery beginning with the snapshot aesthetic of the late 19th century and ending with the mass media influences upon contemporary photographs. Many of the images have not been reproduced before -- always a plus! His thorough research is supported fully by extensive endnotes and an excellent bibliography. Best of all, the overall quality of image reproduction suggests to the reader the individual tonalities of the photographs. This second edition is a successful follow-up to the earlier catalogue of the same name (1995)and records the remarkable growth of this important collection of photographs.