This ground-breaking book by Kathryn Morgan examines the 1877-78 publication Street Life in London,by journalist Adolphe Smith and photographer John Thomson, which aimed to reveal, through the innovative use of photography and essays, the conditions of a life of poverty in London.
Now regarded as a pioneering photo-text and a foundational work of socially conscious photography – “one of the most significant and far-reaching photobooks in the medium’s history” (The Photobook: A History) – Street Life in London did not achieve commercial success in its own time. However, in Street Life in London we see the start, but not the conclusion, of a conversation between text and image in the service of education, reportage and social justice. This book is the first-ever in-depth analysis of the genesis, development and context of Smith and Thomson’s innovative publication.
More information: http://bit.ly/museumsetc005
The author, Dr Emily Kathryn Morgan, is a Senior Lecturer in Art History at Iowa State University.
Full details of this richly illustrated, 556-page, full-colour publication, sample pages and free worldwide shipping are available here: www.museumsetc.com/products/street-life-in-london-context-and-commentary
This 556-page full-colour book, with 75 illustrations, includes the following chapters:
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Revisiting and Re-examining Street Life In London
- John Thomson: Life and Writings
- Adolphe Smith: Life and Writings
- We Are Not The First On The Field
- Making Street Life in London
- True Types of the London Poor
- Street Life in London as Photo-Text
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
“As sustained and ambitious as the primary source itself… This engaging, astute account makes [Street Life in London] available to numerous other fields of study: urban history, sociology, media studies, and more.”
Britt Salvesen, Curator, Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
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