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A History of Photography. From 1839 to the Present
From a delivery boy to one of the most important industrialists in American history, George Eastman's career developed in a particularly American way. The founder of Kodak died in 1932, and left his house to the University of Rochester. Since 1949 the site has operated as an international museum of photography and film, and today holds the largest collection of its kind in the world. The continually expanding photography collection contains over 400,000 images and negatives - among them the work of Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Ansel Adams and others - as well as 23,000 cinema films, five million film stills, one of the most important silent film collections, technical equipment and a library with 40,000 books on photography and film. The George Eastman House is a pilgrimage site and a place of worship for researchers, photographers and collectors from all over the world.
This volume shows in chronological order the most impressive images and the most important developments in the art of light that is photography. It provides in its huge collection and themes a unique survey of the medium from its origins until now.
This volume shows in chronological order the most impressive images and the most important developments in the art of light that is photography. It provides in its huge collection and themes a unique survey of the medium from its origins until now.
766 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 13, 2021
If you're here to check if you want to buy this book: it's worth it.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was enchanted. There's so much variety in the photographs that it's nearly impossible not to find something you like, or that leaves a deep impression. Styles differ, themes differ, techniques differ, eras differ. Sharp portraits of 20th century celebrities, 19th century staged photos that are meant to resemble paintings, grand photographs of places, intimate snapshots of alleys, photographs taken in the blink of an eye when a bullet pierces an apple, for example, or photos composed of several instances in time, creating a comics-like effect of movement. It's not just beautiful, but also interesting.
I have to admit I had absolutely no idea what "The George Eastman House" is, or who George Eastman was - I bought the book because it looked interesting and I trust Taschen when it comes to art books. I have now been informed! George Eastman is the founder of Kodak, and his collection of photographs and photography equipment were preserved, turned into a museum, and increased over the years.
"A History of Photography" is very palpably a museum's book: even if its scope is too large to go into detail, it's always informative, summarizing advancement in technology and the emergence of new styles and ideas. It briefly introduces photographers who are featured, with brief explanations on their lives, and explains the photographs chosen for the volume and what makes them particularly interesting.
Even as someone who doesn't have a background in the visual arts (I'm actually quite confused about various trends and I really Do Not See some things), it was quite enjoyable and clear.
Most of the photos included are sepia or black and white. This isn't at all surprising, as most photography was black and white for a long time. However, contemporaneity is, I felt, somewhat less represented - perhaps this isn't very surprising, as the first edition of "A History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present" was published in 1999, and I think the only changes they've brought to the 2019 edition is to update the biographical data of some photographers who died during those 20 years.
It's a lovely book, which I'll eagerly recommend to others.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was enchanted. There's so much variety in the photographs that it's nearly impossible not to find something you like, or that leaves a deep impression. Styles differ, themes differ, techniques differ, eras differ. Sharp portraits of 20th century celebrities, 19th century staged photos that are meant to resemble paintings, grand photographs of places, intimate snapshots of alleys, photographs taken in the blink of an eye when a bullet pierces an apple, for example, or photos composed of several instances in time, creating a comics-like effect of movement. It's not just beautiful, but also interesting.
I have to admit I had absolutely no idea what "The George Eastman House" is, or who George Eastman was - I bought the book because it looked interesting and I trust Taschen when it comes to art books. I have now been informed! George Eastman is the founder of Kodak, and his collection of photographs and photography equipment were preserved, turned into a museum, and increased over the years.
"A History of Photography" is very palpably a museum's book: even if its scope is too large to go into detail, it's always informative, summarizing advancement in technology and the emergence of new styles and ideas. It briefly introduces photographers who are featured, with brief explanations on their lives, and explains the photographs chosen for the volume and what makes them particularly interesting.
Even as someone who doesn't have a background in the visual arts (I'm actually quite confused about various trends and I really Do Not See some things), it was quite enjoyable and clear.
Most of the photos included are sepia or black and white. This isn't at all surprising, as most photography was black and white for a long time. However, contemporaneity is, I felt, somewhat less represented - perhaps this isn't very surprising, as the first edition of "A History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present" was published in 1999, and I think the only changes they've brought to the 2019 edition is to update the biographical data of some photographers who died during those 20 years.
It's a lovely book, which I'll eagerly recommend to others.
April 7, 2021
An intense and in-depth look at the complex and fascinating history of photography from the very first camera up to the present day (mostly).
This book features a range of photos from the George Eastman collection, with the book primarily designed as an accompaniment to the collection. However, as a history of photography it fascinates and captures your attention with stories and stunning photographs that would manage to inspire any amateur photographer.
Although the text is well-written and interesting, it does gloss over some areas of history and doesn't quite manage the present day promised by the title. It is definitely worth a read and a look through but I would imagine that there might be some more comprehensive histories out there.
This book features a range of photos from the George Eastman collection, with the book primarily designed as an accompaniment to the collection. However, as a history of photography it fascinates and captures your attention with stories and stunning photographs that would manage to inspire any amateur photographer.
Although the text is well-written and interesting, it does gloss over some areas of history and doesn't quite manage the present day promised by the title. It is definitely worth a read and a look through but I would imagine that there might be some more comprehensive histories out there.
August 8, 2020
Exhaustive enough as a mere introduction to the enchanting world of the history of photography, but I reckon that I would rather appreciated a more depth enquiry regarding the key major figures who made this art as a real revolution.
February 25, 2024
This isn't so much a history of photography - developments in equipment, technique, the evolution of the photo as art form - as a mostly chronological selection of (extremely US-centric) photos from the George Eastman House collection of photography.
It's also ordered more or less by subject-matter rather than photographic equipment / technique, or even photographer, making it hard to get much sense of the evolution of the form. And ends in the early 1990s, so has nothing at all on digital photography or the rise of Photoshop. Hence the three stars - I was hoping for more.
There are some fascinating images in here, though. And some pretty interesting quotes from the photographers themselves in amongst the otherwise largely just descriptive, mostly unrevealing text. (This is also deeply repetitive after a while, bragging about the number of prints of photographer so-and-so in the George Eastman House collection.)
Then again, I suppose this is billed as *A* history of photography, not *The* history of photography, so I shouldn't complain. It's more a kind of museum catalogue than a true history, though - and so despite the good quality of the imagery and the fact I did read through the whole thing and learned some things (albeit I skimmed a lot of the text), it's hard to justify more than three stars based on my own highly subjective and fickle Goodreads ranking system.
It's also ordered more or less by subject-matter rather than photographic equipment / technique, or even photographer, making it hard to get much sense of the evolution of the form. And ends in the early 1990s, so has nothing at all on digital photography or the rise of Photoshop. Hence the three stars - I was hoping for more.
There are some fascinating images in here, though. And some pretty interesting quotes from the photographers themselves in amongst the otherwise largely just descriptive, mostly unrevealing text. (This is also deeply repetitive after a while, bragging about the number of prints of photographer so-and-so in the George Eastman House collection.)
Then again, I suppose this is billed as *A* history of photography, not *The* history of photography, so I shouldn't complain. It's more a kind of museum catalogue than a true history, though - and so despite the good quality of the imagery and the fact I did read through the whole thing and learned some things (albeit I skimmed a lot of the text), it's hard to justify more than three stars based on my own highly subjective and fickle Goodreads ranking system.
December 26, 2018
This book looks uses the George Eastman collection (of Eastman Kodak fame) to act as a starting point for a discussion of the history of photography since 1839. It is a thorough piece, perhaps a little too thorough in places, but I enjoyed it, and think I learned something.
April 5, 2022
An interesting chronological tour through the holdings of the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY as well as a celebration of the museum's philanthropic and educational achievements. A very fascinating tour through one of the country's largest and oldest photography archives.
December 10, 2020
Nice pictures
May 31, 2024
Go maith
June 11, 2024
Love it! Amazing collection of Pictures and stories behind them.
April 22, 2016
This bargain price (and good value) Taschen reprint of a larger (in both size and price) Taschen original covers the history of photography - from 1839 to the late 1990s - in the context of the George Eastman House collection. Some interesting background accompanies the photos but unfortunately the text is really too small for easy reading. Still, it is good to have and much (but not all) of the photography is inspiring.
March 23, 2025
I was amazed at how thorough this book was since the very first photograph taken to modern day photography. From the processes to the popularity of the different genres. Sometimes it seemed like photographers were just stealing from each other without attributing. Of course back then what was the copyright law that needed to be enforced? I would read this book again just to look at the pictures, because they truly are stunning.
January 17, 2015
Interesting book that depicts the changing art of photography from its very beginning to the present day. Inspiring and thought provoking, creating a desire to know more about the medium, and to practice it too.
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November 28, 2016Read by ACRL Member of the Week Melissa S. Stoner. Learn more about Melissa on the ACRL Insider Blog.
July 31, 2021
An early version of Wikipedia photography in 1999.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews