An American Odyssey (multilingual) (English, French and German Edition) - Hardcover

Walter, Marc; Arqué, Sabine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3836542102 ISBN 13: 9783836542104

Publisher: TASCHEN, 2014

Synopsis

These rediscovered Photochrom and Photostint postcard images from the private collection of Marc Walter were produced by the Detroit Photographic Company between 1888 and 1924. Using a photolithographic process that predated the autochrome by nearly 20 years, they offered people the very first color photographs of The United States. Suddenly, the continent's colors were available for all to see. The rich ochres and browns of the Grand Canyon, the dazzle of Atlantic City, became a visual delight not only for eyewitnesses, but for Americans far and wide.

Imbued with this sense of discovery and adventure, the pictures gathered here are a voyage through peoples, places and time at once. They take us through North America’s vast and varied landscape, encounter its many communities, and above all transport us back to the New World of over a century ago. Over more than 600 pages including fold-out spreads, this sweeping panorama takes us from Native American settlements to New York's Chinatown, from some of the last cowboys to Coney Island's heyday. As luminous now as they were some 120 years ago, these rare and remarkable images that brought America to Americans now bring American's past to our present.

About this title

About the Author:

Graphic designer, photographer, and collector Marc Walter (1949–2018) specialized in vintage travel photographs, particularly photochromes, of which he held one of the world’s largest collections. He published numerous books featuring images from his collection as well as his own photographs.

Sabine Arqué is a photo researcher, editor, and author. She has collaborated on numerous publications on the themes of travel, the history of tourism, photochromes, and photography.

Review:

“...almost as epic as its source material, with more than 600 pages packed with beautiful shots from the US’s formative period.”

“I found many of the images truly beautiful, often awe-inspiring... Hours can pass simply reading store signs, or poring over faces among the masses on tenement-lined streets... An American Odyssey is a celebration of the North American continent made exceptional by its scope.”

“At 15.7 pounds and 600 pages, this is the heftiest and most pored-over book on our coffee table... the nationwide swath of scenery is breathtaking, shot when the West was Wild and the times were woolly.”

“An American Odyssey provides a strikingly vibrant look at America, from the late 1880s to the early 1920s... The images are at-once beautiful and technically brilliant documents that reanimate history in a way few other media possibly can.”

“...an extraordinary voyage through the past – you will never see the United States in the same way again.”

“From the buzz of New York City to the expansive canyons of Arizona, the collection provides a fascinating glimpse into America’s past, in all its vibrancy.”

About this edition

• Publisher: TASCHEN
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 3836542102
• ISBN 13: 9783836542104
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 612