Illuminating Shadows: The Calotype in 19th Century America

Illuminating Shadows: The Calotype in Nineteenth-Century America by David R. Hanlon

Filling a large hole in the history of American photography.

246 pages 10 x 7 Illustrated, Bibliography, Cloth $50

From the review in CHOICE, CURRENT REVIEWS FOR ACADEMIC LIBRARIES : In ten chapters [Hanlon] charts the multiple uses, commercial context, and aesthetics of the [calotype] process until about 1870, when the paper negative was discontinued in favor of glass. Excellent notes, appendices, an bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.“ P. C. Bunnell, emeritus, Princeton University

"In this volume Hanlon turns conventional photographic history inside out, restoring American photography to its proper place among the great early traditions. Too often the United States is seen as a provincial player in calotype photography; a poor cousin to the Britons who invented the technique and the French who perfected it. In this book, we see early American photography as a vital part of that tradition ”creative, dynamic, and influential. Accessibly written and exquisitely researched, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in photography and its origins. In addition to being a great reference work, it dramatically expands our understanding of the field." Phillip Prodger “ Curator and Head, Department of Photography, Peabody Essex Museum