Imogen Cunningham: Portraiture

Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976) was one of photography's early pioneers, a Seattle-born virtuoso whose brilliant portraits and still lifes helped establish the medium as an art form. This book, the companion to Imogen Cunningham: Flora (1996), collects the best of Cunningham's portrait work - over 200 images, more than half of which have never before been published. In an illustrated essay accompanying the plates, Richard Lorenz discusses Cunningham's approach to portraiture, influences on her work, and comparable work by other important photographers. A chronology of Cunningham's life and a selected bibliography are included.

This sumptuous book, a tribute to one of the most talented photographers of the American West, includes over 250 beautifully reproduced portraits selected from the thousands Cunningham made over her long and prolific career. Cunningham was one of photography's earliest advocates of medium-format photography, and the flexibility of her small, twin-lens camera is clearly evident in the relaxed, almost spontaneous tone of her work. Cunningham's refreshingly informal approach results in a collection of open, honest portraits of the notable people of her time, including Dorothea Lange, Sherwood Anderson, Gertrude Stein, and Gary Grant. Along with the quiet dignity that pervades her work, there is an abiding sense of humanity and a touch of whimsy. Lorenz (Imogen Cunningham: Flora, LJ 5/1/96) furnishes a fine account of the artist's approach to portraiture, a detailed biography of her work, and a helpful time line. Essential for libraries with major art and photography collections and highly recommended for all others. Raymond Bial, Parkland Coll. Lib., Champaign, IL Copyright 1998 Library Journal Reviews