Victorian Architecture of Iowa

Plymat, William, Jr.

ISBN 10: 0966144015 / ISBN 13: 9780966144017

Published by Palladian Pub Co, Des Moines, IA, 1997

About this Item

The book is bound in blue cloth-covered boards with gilt titles. No defects to note on the book. The dust jacket has wear along the top edge with small tears. Book is SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR on the title page. A history of Victorian Houses in Iowa with numerous color photos of the homes. Beautiful color photos. 144 pages including the Index and a map showing locations of the homes. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.

Seller Inventory # 012018

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Victorian Architecture of Iowa
• Publisher: Palladian Pub Co, Des Moines, IA
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0966144015
• ISBN 13: 9780966144017
• Binding: Hard Back
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: VG
• Dust Jacket Condition: VG-
• Signed: Signed By Author
• Book Type: Book

About this title

Synopsis

This 144-page large-format volume (9 by 11 inches) contains color photographs of 215 nineteenth-century buildings representing 94 of Iowa's cities and towns. There are an additional 33 detail views for a total of 248 photographs--about 30% more than a typical book of this kind. The enclosed location index lists the towns represented.To accompany the photographs, the author has written a comprehensive text describing the architectural styles of the period, beginning with the Federal, Greek, Gothic, and Italianate houses of the 1850s. Subsequent chapters document the Second Empire, Eastlake, Queen Anne, and Neo-Classical styles that were popular from the end of the Civil War until the early years of the twentieth century. Photo captions describe the design elements that are unique to each category. Many examples feature semi-authentic "Painted Lady" color schemes.About three-quarters of the photographs in the book are of Victorian period houses, but more than fifty commercial buildings are also illustrated. Constructed between 1870 and 1900, these decorative storefronts display molded Renaissance-style window caps and coverings of stamped galvanized iron.Mr. Plymat has worked as a professional photographer for nearly thirty years. Most of his images were made with a medium-format camera equipped with a perspective-correcting lens. Film exposures made with this camera are nearly four times the size of a conventional 35mm frame, so the photographs are extremely clear and detailed.Though readers will be delighted by the large number of buildings pictured, Victorian Architecture of Iowa is not just a collection of photographs. In addition to a thorough explanation of the architectural styles of the period, the author relates a series of interesting historical episodes that help to place the visual elements in context. Stories include the Great Steamboat Excursion of 1854, the Grasshopper Plague of 1873, and the 1894 invasion of Kelly's Army. The 30,000-word narrative will keep readers absorbed for hours.