In the introduction of this work, authors Kristin G. Congdon and Kara Kelley Hallmark write that “pictures tell stories and stories are always popular” (p. xiv). This statement encapsulates the myriad purposes the photographers included in this book endeavour to use the medium of photography to achieve. The construction of the book centres around short (approximately three pages) biographical essays on 76 different US photographers whose prominence came to pass in the twentieth century, arranged in alphabetical order by last name. The essays are preceded by an alphabetical list of the artists included in the volume, a seven‐page introductory essay that offers readers a brief yet informative look at how photography has changed throughout the twentieth century technologically, politically, subjectively and in purpose and prominence within the art world and beyond. The book also contains a glossary of photographic terminology, a bibliography of suggested readings and an index of contents.
Twentieth Century United States Photographers: A Student's Guide's purpose is to provide readers with access to a wide cross‐section of various US photographers who have contributed to the overall evolution, alteration and advancement of using photography to record the extraordinary and everyday people, places and events of the twentieth century and beyond. Each biographical essay features a sketch of the photographer's life and career highlights plus one or two examples of his/her work. Also included is a list of locations where examples of the artist's work can be seen (museums, galleries, colleges, other places) and a bibliography of suggested readings (articles and books) for further information on each photographer. The majority of the examples of the artists' work are in black and white, but the book contains a 16‐page collection of colour photographs from the various artists included. The essays address how each photographer came to photography as a career, what his/her artistic process is, what subjects each one favoured/became known for and how each person impacted/changed/added to the world of twentieth century US photography. The only drawback I found in this entire book was the format of the highlighted photographic vocabulary terms. Each term is italicized within the sentence it appears in, which is meant to be a visual cue to the reader that this is a term that is defined in the glossary at the back of the book. Overall, this feature is a helpful one, but the italics can be misread as being emphasis within the text rather than as a visual cue for the glossary. It might have been better to bold the words or to at least bold the italics.
Some photographers included are immediately recognizable (Margaret Bourke‐White, Alfred Steiglitz, Annie Leibovitz), others may be less instantly well‐known yet have contributed greatly to the advancement of photography (Harold Edgerton), and still others are of younger generations of US photographers whose contributions are propelling the genre forward both as an art form and in subject matter (Carm Little Turtle, Lorna Simpson). Regardless of when these artists can be placed in the timeline of twentieth century American photography history, the authors express their desire that “these varied photographers will entice the reader to learn more and delve more deeply into the issues that have been presented” (p.xix). I was pleased to see such a representation of US women photographers among those selected to feature in this work as well as the ethnic diversity of the subjects. Too often, authors of books of this kind automatically gravitate to those celebrated (and well‐documented) white male American photographers when deciding who to single out for inclusion in their publications. I applaud these authors for endeavouring to have their book's focus reflect the changes the field of photography has experienced in both subjects explored and characteristics of the artists involved during the twentieth century.
This reference book is an attractive resource that would be an excellent addition to the collections of all libraries, especially those who have K‐12 and college students as part of their primary user groups. It can be used to give initial biographical information on each artist, some possible first resources to consult for expanded information on them and ideas where to view actual pieces of their work.
