Bright Sky Press~Revealing Characters Texas Tintypes R. Kendrick RARE Postcards

Description: RARE!! America's first major contribution to the art of photography, which dates back to the heyday of the cattle drives (1850-1880), tintypes went on to become the country's favorite portrait format. A tedious and unforgiving method of photography that requires patience and commitment from both the subject and the photographer, posing for a tintype requires more time than modern point-and-shoot photography, and instructions must be followed carefully or the photograph will be ruined. The tintypes-eighty-five in all-are showcased and are accompanied by field notes that provide a look at each individual and his or her dedication to the cowboy way of life. From Publishers Weekly:Using the cumbersome nineteenth century tintype method, National Geographic photographer Kendrick made a series of faux-antique portraits of some of the men (and one woman) who work as cowboys on Texas ranches today. Unlike Richard Avedon's similarly themed In the American West, this lavish book has no interest in the cultural contradictions inherent in the lives of those who deliberately try to evoke long-vanished and economically marginal ways of life-Kendrick is content to record the cowboys' images as lovingly as they would have themselves. In such an aesthetic, character is not revealed, but worn like chaps or an elaborately groomed mustache. The result is a book whose preening collective narcissism tips it over into the realm of camp. Perhaps sensing this, in his introduction Kendrick writes defensively, "The point of this project has not been to romanticize the cowboy and transport him back to the 19th century, but to document those who carry on the traditions, values and lifestyles that many today would find isolating, lonely or simply too hard." This sheer nonsense compounds the book's fervid glorification of its already self-romanticizing subjects with the implication that they are somehow better than those people who work in office buildings. And in a world where the figure of the Texas "cowboy" has become symbolic for very different reasons, this book-financed by a bank and conceived by an advertising agency-has a political subtext that's hard to ignore.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review:". . . the book of the year in Texas . . . an elegant tribute to the working cowboy." -- Bryan-College Station Eagle. "A true labor of love." -- San Antonio Express-News. "Robb Kendrick has captured the timeless essence of the cowboy." -- Brilliant magazine. "The images truly portray the spirit of Texas cowboys--determination, integrity, humility and a strong work ethic." -- Continental magazine. "The portrait . . . tells a timeless tale of American life, American dreams and the American frontier." -- Abilene Reporter News. "True artistry." -- Dallas Morning News. "When I first saw the cowboy photographs, my eyes played a trick on my mind." -- Brilliant magazine. "a fascinating book of portraits. They, like the mythology that sometimes surrounds cowboys, are far from finely focused." -- Fort Worth Start-Telegram. From the Publisher:Winner of the 2006 National Western Heritage Award for best photography book presented by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and finalist for the 2006 Fred Whitehead Award for best design of a trade book presented by the Texas Institute of Letters. About the Author:Robb Kendrick is a photographer who works for Audubon, National Geographic, Life, Smithsonian, and Sports Illustrated. He also photographs advertising campaigns for such clients as Texas Tourism, Eddie Bauer, and Frost Bank.

Price: 74.24 USD

Location: Austin, Texas

End Time: 2025-02-01T17:41:53.000Z

Shipping Cost: 12 USD