Inge Morath: The Road to Reno

by Lucy Raven, Inge Morath (Photographer), Arthur Miller (contributor)

Inge Morath's first trip across the United States followed a red grease-pencil line drawn by her traveling companion, Henri Cartier-Bresson. In 1960 the two drove from New York through Gettysburg, Memphis, and Albuquerque to Reno. They were among 18 photojournalists commissioned by Magnum to document the Nevada set of Arthur Miller's The Misfits. The destination was momentous for Morath--she took remarkable photographs, and later married Miller after his divorce from Marilyn Monroe--but it is the trip, the 18 days she spent traveling, as documented in both photographs and journal entries, ("written each night at the table in a motel room that was always in a different place but always looked the same"), that in its casualness can unfold for readers her carefully observed, insightful, and compassionate approach to reportage. Traveling westward, Morath combines a foreigner's awe of alien terrain with the curiosity of small-town life, offering glimpses into rather than encapsulations of her experience at each stop. This is the first publication of her work to include her writing alongside her photographs, and it includes an afterword by Arthur Miller.

144 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2006

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading through this coffee table book of Inge Morath's photographs. It was almost like reading through someone's blog but with 1960s mentality and photographs. The pictures of mid-century America were stunning, and living in Virginia, it was fun to see so many of the neighboring sites.

I am also such a fan of The Misfits, Arthur Miller, and old Hollywood, so the payoff was even better. I hope I can find this book to keep instead of just borrowing from a library. It's gorgeous and hits all of my favorite things.

[Davy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty charming stuff, especially the journal entries. America (before the fall) as only a wide-eyed European could describe it. Photographically, you can tell which subjects really excited her. The Blue Ridge material stands out among the travel images, but everything pales in comparison to her treatment of Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Misfits. Probing, compassionate photographs of a tragic heroine.