LaPorte, Indiana

by Jason Bitner, Alex Kotlowitz (Foreword by)

FOUND magazine editor Jason Bitner has made it a habit of picking up after us, walking down the back alleys of our lives, and accumulating all that we've thrown away or mislaid. One afternoon not long ago, after lunch at a small Midwestern diner, he stumbled onto a forgotten archive. In the back of the restaurant were box upon box of studio portraits of the townspeople of LaPorte, Indianaover 18,000 in total.Taken over four decades, the photos marked important milestonesa sailor in uniform, a graduate in cap and gown, a couple newly engagedwhile others simply made modest attempts at posterity. Each in their unique way reveals both a public and private face, a story untold, a secret to reveal. They are admittedly brief moments and ones in which people have purposefully posed for the camera. Smiling. Caring. Loving. Pensive. Serious. These are pictures of all of us in a way, reflections in a mirror of the everyday moments and events that define all of our lives. LaPorte, Indiana is a major cultural excavation and an opening into these lives, into this town, and into the heart of our nation.

"These are real people. The grace and dignity one sees in their faces should be a source of hope for us all."
John Mellencamp

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, History

190 pages, Hardcover

First published February 23, 2006

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bitner (of found) put together this collection of photographs of the citizens of LaPorte, Indiana from the 50s-70s.

They make it out like he rescued these from a dumpster but really they were just for sale in the back of a diner. Still cool, but still.

This is one of those books that I feel I'm supposed to "get" or have an emotional reaction to. Thing is, I didn't. Sure, it was fun to flip through the photographs but anyone who's seen photos from their grandparents's attic has seen this before.

Yes to checking it out from the library (if you can find it; I had to get it from Oak Street) but no to buying unless this is really your thing.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture worth a thouasand words - blah blah blah, whatever. That said, this cleverly arranged collection of portraits of middle America circa 1950-70, rescued from a defunct photo studio, was all-consuming, and -for me- moving. I just gazed and gazed at these faces, and their inferred stories and real mystery. The book is deeply saturated w/ humanity, and the overwhelming normality of the sitters makes it almost easier to feel their vulnerabilities and grasp at their souls than something more extraordinary by, say, Walker Evans. Well chosen.

[Olivia Arrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much to read, and anyhow, I heard all about the story behind the portraits previously on NPR. It's not a book for reading, it's a book for staring. So many interesting, bizarre faces to look into and wonder about.

[Jeffrey Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely photography book. warms my midwestern heart... no words, but big, big story for sure.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have found lots of unknown pictures in my day and was fascinated to see someone who actually preserved them.

[+kflem+ · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing