The Realisms of Berenice Abbott: Documentary Photography and Political Action
The Realisms of Berenice Abbott provides the first in-depth consideration of the work of the photographer Berenice Abbott. She is best known for her 1930s documentary images of New York City, but in this book, Terri Weissman examines a broad range of Abbott's work, including her portraits from the 1920s, her little known and uncompleted projects from the 1930s, and her experimental science photography from the 1950s. Weissman argues that Abbott consistently relied on realism as the theoretical armature for her work, even as her understanding of that term changed over time and in relation to specific historical circumstances.
PRAISE FOR THE REALISMS OF BERENICE ABBOTT
Winner: Phillips Book Prize http://www.phillipscollection.org/learn/center-for-art-and-knowledge/book-prize
"A fine book...Accounts for the look of Abbott's photographs in a way no one has done before." -- Alexander Nemerov, Stanford University
"This brilliant book provides the most original and thoughtful consideration to date of the photography of Berenice Abbott..." -- John Pultz, author of The Body and the Lens: Photography 1839 to the Present
"...Weissman's book will inspire a new generation of scholars to attend to documentary in fresh ways instead of flattening the genre into a general category of photgoraphic practice-- a major accomplishment." -- Jennifer Greenhill, University of Southern California
"Complex and compelling...A model for future scholarship on both historical and contemporary photography." -- Drew Sawyer, History of Photography
"From a wealth of primary material, much of it long buried in archives and libraries, Weissman has created a fine documentary. Abbott's singular vision of the interaction of these are all presented with clear prose and scholarly consideration. Photography fans will find much here." -- Library Journal