Icons of Photography: The 19th Century FROM THE PUBLISHER
"From Daguerre's early experiments, Fenton's photographic documentation of the Crimea, and Brady's portrayals of America's Civil War, to Muybridge's galloping horses or Julia Margaret Cameron's romantic portraits - Icons of Photography: The 19th Century presents the geniuses who helped transform a scientific discovery into a means of artistic expression." The invention of photography in the nineteenth century ignited an artistic and scientific frenzy. Icons of Photography: The 19th Century includes works made using an extensive range of early photographic techniques and examines the enduring legacy of photography's pioneers.
SYNOPSIS
This newest addition to the "Icons" series examines the enduring legacy of
photography's pioneers in beautifully reproduced full-page images and lively,
knowledgeable texts offering critical and biographical information on the
artists profiled.
Although photography is largely considered a twentieth (and now twenty-first-) century art form, its inception in the nineteenth century ignited an artistic and scientific frenzy as discovery after discovery moved the art forward at lightning speed. Technical advances, such as heliographs, daguerreotypes, calotypes and tintypes, albumen, collodion, and platinum prints were all introduced before 1900 by artists whose names are still revered today. From Daguerre and Niepce's early experiments with the camera obscura to Atget's studies of the urban environment; from Roger Fenton's documentation of the Crimean War to Mathew Brady's realistic portrayals of America's Civil War; from Muybridge's galloping horses to Julia Margaret Cameron's romantic portraits; from Felix Nadar's infamous female nude to Lewis Carroll's celebrated portraits of girls-here are the geniuses and masterpieces who helped transform a scientific discovery into a means of artistic expression.
About the Author
Freddy Langer has been
the photographic editor of the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung since
1989. He has written several books including Lewis W. Hine: The Empire State
Building (Prestel). He lives in Frankfurt, Germany.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Following the publisher's parallel volume, Icons of Photography: The 20th Century, this introduction to 19th-century photography presents nearly 60 pioneering photographers, each represented by at least two works, including one full-page reproduction. A short essay accompanies each photographer's two-page entry, along with a short biography and a portrait of the photographer (except for those, like George Barnard, for whom no portrait has been found). One might quibble about photographers who were not included, but those selected present a fine assortment indeed. They include three important women (Gertrude K sebier, Julia M. Cameron, and Clementina Hawarden) and many familiar names (Jacob Riis, Lewis Carroll, the Alinari Brothers, and John Thomson), as well as several lesser-known early German photographic pioneers (Alois Locherer, Franz Hanfstaengl, August Kotzsch, and Ottomar Anschutz), making the book particularly interesting to American audiences. German photography editor Langer provides a perceptive and well-expressed introduction as well as a brief chronological survey of early inventors and technological developments. An easily digestible introduction to the history of photography, this volume is recommended for smaller public and academic libraries.-Kathleen Collins, Bank of America Archives, San Francisco Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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