Forgotten Faces: A Window Into Our Immigrant Past

Rating:
Summary: A Unique Glimpse Into Past Lives
Review: Forgotten Faces offers a surprisingly detailed look into our history. The text is easily read. Although the portraits are the heart of the book, the author's descriptions and insights enliven the images.
I was impressed by the breadth of knowledge about the portraits. Questions I had while reading were often answered in a following chapter. The book is a pleasantly thorough treatment of a little known area of our history.
This book has left me with a new outlook on memorials in general and with a hope that around the country further research into these memorial portraits will be undertaken.


Rating:
Summary: Explores a unique aspect of America's history
Review: Forgotten Faces explores a unique aspect of America's history - the photo-ceramic memorial portraits upon tombstones, long-forgotten art in plain sight. Black-and-white photographs througout reveal the skill and emotion behind these images, which remain perfectly preserved despite ornamenting tombstones for almost a century. The text discusses epitaphs and inscriptions on the tombstones with the portraits, as well as surveying what is known about the men and women whose likenesses have been captured to heartrending perfection. Images of immigrants from 28 nations from cemeteries in various American and European locations combine to create a unique cross-section of photographic art and history combined.


Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Book
Review: The portriats are poignant and haunting, as if the subjects are urging the observer to "stay a while." Saying that you will be moved is an understatement.
Very informative to those who are into geneology or
post-mortem/memorial photography.