Galleries of Friendship and Fame: A History of Nineteenth-Century American Photograph Albums

by Elizabeth Siegel

Galleries of Friendship and Fame is the first comprehensive investigation of the origin, development, and practices of 19th-century American photograph albums. In this fascinating book, the author argues that the album—whether functioning as family record, parlor entertainment, social register, national portrait gallery, or advertisement for photography itself—helped transform the nature of self-presentation at the cusp of modernity. This handsome volume examines carte de visite and cabinet card albums from their introduction in the United States in 1861 through the rise of the snapshot at the century’s end. By examining a wealth of previously overlooked primary materials, this study offers a completely new understanding of photograph albums, revealing how they emerged, how they were marketed and sold, and how families displayed and told stories through them. Galleries of Friendship and Fame addresses the history of technology and innovation, the interconnectedness of the commercial and domestic spheres, and the ways photography helped shape notions of identity, family, and nation in a rapidly changing America.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2010

Reviews

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite photo-histories read during my PhD. Siegel's ability to weave photo history with cultural context represents everything I want to be as a scholar.