man & nature # 165 ~ a must read
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 08:07AM 
Just browsing • click to embiggenWith an assist to the wife, this past weekend I came into possession of a very interesting book - The History of Photography ~ from 1839 to the present day • revised and enlarged edition by Beaumont Newhall. The book (the 4th revised and expanded edition) was published by the Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with the George Eastman House. BTW, "the present day" as mentioned in the book's title is 1964.
Beaumont Newhall was a giant in the field of photography. His work as a curator, photo historian / writer, and photographer exerted great influence over the over the medium and its history as we know and practice it today. As the first director of MOMA's photography department as well as the curator / organizer of the first comprehensive retrospective of photography (presented at MOMA in 1937), he was very influential in establishing photography's place in the arts. The book / catalog that accompanied the exhibition, The History of Photography (1839-1937) still remains as one of the best accounts of the history of the medium.
In 1948, after his stint at MOMA, Newhall went on to become curator at the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House (1948-1958) after which he became the institution's director until 1971. At GEH he amassed one of the best photography collections in the world.
The book itself is a beauty - both the writing and the pictures (215 pages, 190 photos). I was able (with an assist to the wife) to obtained a copy of the book in very good - excellent condition for the paltry sum of $7 US. A used book search for the title says that a copy of this book - the 4th revised and enlarged edition (hardbound), published in 1964 - in the condition that I have is valued at about $40-100 US so it seems that I got quite a bargain. However, that same search turned up many other examples at much lower prices.
IMO, this book should be on the shelf of any picture maker who is serious about the medium.
Reader Comments (1)
It's not so much of a "must read" as a "must view." This was the first history of photography I owned, maybe even the first collection of photographs, and I spent hours of my younger life pouring over images late into the night. Sometimes I was astounded, sometimes mystified, but never bored. I occasionally wondered why a certain image was deemed significant, but that only led me to more investigation. Most of the pictures my younger self did not get than have become treasures to my older self. The few that still elude me only give me a reason to keep coming back. I now own many more such books. Were I able to get back all the money I spent on photobooks I could afford a nice upgrade to the camera, but I would know less about what to do with it. (Alas, also less about my shortcomings) I'll keep the books. Especially Newhall.