Photographed By Bachrach

Looks at the history of America's oldest photography company, discusses their traditional style of portraiture, and shows photographs of politicians and celebrities

Collins ( The Story of Kodak ) entertainingly traces business and social history in this first full-length account of a famed American photography studio, founded by a German-born immigrant who recorded Lincoln at Gettysburg in 1863 and whose operations today, managed by his great-grandsons, spread throughout a dozen cities. Special posing, lighting and printing techniques account for the "Bachrach touch," explains Collins, who characterizes the company's portraiture as "intelligently flattering" and influenced by Rembrandt. Reproduced here are pictures of U.S. presidents going back to Ulysses S. Grant; notables in many fields, from actors and athletes to scientists and musicians; socialites; and a number of unidentified subjects. As Schlesinger observes, the 132 black-and-white and color photographs tantalizingly "depict the great flow and panorama of more than a century of American life."
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

No photography studio in American history has achieved the fame of Bachrach, whose impressive work is here chronicled through informative text and carefully selected photographs. Since Bachrach photographed Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address in 1863, every American president has been photographed by the family-owned studio. The studio achieved its stature in part by presenting its clients in a softly focused and flattering light. The distinctive mood of the black-and-white photographs is intriguing, as is the judicious use of muted color in more recent photographs. Included here are engaging portraits of Joseph Kennedy and family and many other celebrities ranging from Duke Ellington to Meryl Streep. A text by Collins and an introduction by Arthur Schlesinger Jr. are woven among the well-reproduced photographs, making this book as much family history as photographic critique--a definite strength. Highly recommended.
- Raymond Bial, Parkland Coll. Lib., Champaign, Ill.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.