Etched in Memory; The Building and Survival of Artistic Reputation.

Between 1880 and 1930, the art of painter-etching rose to a degree of popularity unmatched before or since. When the tide went out, most of the etchers once acclaimed were forgotten along with their prints - but some were more forgotten than others. "Etched in Memory" seeks to understand the process whereby some producers of culture but not others come to be considered worth remembering. Through a combination of masterful sleuthing and analytical rigor, Gladys Engel Lang and Kurt Lang bring to light the lives and artistic careers of 126 British and 160 American etchers, equally divided between men and women. They explore the links between popular taste and artistic choices and consider what artists did or could have done to increase their chances of being remembered - and why "lady-etchers" in particular were likely to disappear from the artistic register. Now available in paperback and enhanced with a new introduction by the authors, Etched in Memory offers a penetrating and provocative look at the dangers of letting one's art speak for itself.

"This is a real masterpiece of the sociology of art, a book that combines a deep understanding of the details of the world of etching with a firm grasp of the nature of social organization. The result is a profound exploration of the problem of reputation, its genesis and maintenance, which is a fundamental problem in the study of the art." -- Howard S. Becker, author of Art Worlds "Without a doubt, Etched in Memory joins William Goode's A Celebration of Heroes as the two most significant American works in the sociology of art dealing with the formation of reputation." -- John Rodden, Journal of Communication "Etched in Memory is enormously interesting to read. It sheds much light on the creative process, the creation of a cultural commodity, and the fickle nature of what constitutes success." -- Helena E. Wright, Winterthur Portfolio