Photo Odyssey: Solomon Carvalho's Remarkable Western Adventure 1853-54 - Hardcover

Hirschfelder, Arlene B.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039589123X ISBN 13: 9780395891230

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2000

Synopsis

In 1853 explorer Colonel John Charles Frémont invited photographer and fine artist Solomon Nunes Carvalho to accompany his fifth, and final, western expedition. As the official photographer, Carvalho documented the trip from the Mississippi River to Utah with daguerreotypes--a unique and often unwieldy form of photography that produces images on large silver plates. Carvalho was a skilled photographer, but he was a novice on the trail and he battled with the hardships of the journey. He not only was challenged by the physical strain but, as an observant Jew, struggled to maintain his commitment to Judaism, even when observing strict dietary laws meant that he did not eat. Carvalho's own words, from the journal he kept and from letters he wrote home to his wife, provide a vivid firsthand view of his remarkable adventure. With many apt excerpts from his descriptions, author Arlene Hirschfelder has written a detailed account of the life of this little-known, yet widely accomplished, man. EXPEDITION ROSTER, MAP, INDEX.

About this title

About the Author

Arlene Hirschfelder has written several award-winning books, primarily about American Indians. She lives in Teaneck, NJ.

From Publishers Weekly

Hirschfelder (Native Americans) focuses this uneven biography on Solomon Carvalho (1815-1897), a daguerreotype photographer recruited by Colonel John Charles Fr?mont to document a railroad survey expedition. Hirschfelder starts out strong with a preface abundant with engrossing details of Carvalho's life as an observant Jew, implying a unique set of challenges for his experiences on the road; yet she drops this point almost immediately. She then conveys a microcosm of the westward expansion movement, offering concrete examples of the circumstances posed by life and travel in the great outdoors. For instance, a humorous account of the competition for the Fr?mont expedition between Carvalho and another photographer contrasts the unwieldy daguerreotype processAwhich created a "mirrorlike image" by exposing a silver plate "to iodine vapors in a wooden camera until the silver surface turned a bright golden yellow then [was] treated to mercury fumes heated by flame"Awith the more modern but lengthier process of producing negatives. However, while Hirschfelder's preface paves the way for a more intimate biography, and the narrative is punctuated by a wealth of excerpts from Carvalho's diary and letters, later chapters often assume a detached tone, which lessens the impact of her subject's connection to people and events. Black-and-white images and maps accompany the text, but readers may well question the absence of the subject's daguerreotypes (readers don't learn until the last chapter that most were lost). While this volume offers an informative snapshot of the West and the accomplishments of a little-known craftsman, it unfortunately may not hold readers' attention. Ages 10-14. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 039589123X
• ISBN 13: 9780395891230
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128