"Exposing the Wilderness salutes [postcards] uncanny ability to serve as valued-priced snapshots of a fleeting era and treats the photographers who created them like the cultural documentarists they inadvertently and inevitably were. Bogdan examines the lives and work of six photographers. . . . He devotes a generous and near-exhaustive chapter to each photographer. The photo reproductions, both still and postcard, are plentiful, fascinating, and as revealing as they are quaint."—Adirondack Explorer
"An appealing look at the lives and work of six photographers who specialized in taking photo postcard views in and around the Adirondacks during the first part of the 20th century."—Adirondac
Description
Robert Bogdan combines a richly descriptive text with striking illustrations to create vivid biographical sketches of these pioneer photographers, who worked their individual styles to illuminate six different regions of the Adirondack Mountains.
The book also provides insight into the popular culture of the times mainly through postcards but it also takes an in-depth look at the families and work lives of these artisans as they plied their trade in the popular venue of commercial postcards.
Aside from the Adirondack locals and a few postcard connoisseurs, the gifted folk artists and craftspeople profiled here were virtually unknown until now. Bogdan has collected nearly 250 illustrations including postcards and photographs depicting Adirondack life of the time. Many of these images have never before been published.
About the Author
Robert Bogdan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Social Science and Disability Studies at Syracuse University. He is the author of several books including Adirondack Vernacular: The Photography of Henry M. Beach.
October 1999