An American Century of Photography represents the first comprehensive study of this vast and important subject from the mid-1880s to the present. Lavishly illustrated, and printed to the highest technical standards in both tritone and color, this authoritative volume presents a significantly new perspective on the history of American photography that will be of interest to general audiences and scholars alike.

Based largely on photography's own literature and supplemented with detailed source notes, this book emphasizes the relationships between individuals and aesthetic movements, and the intellectual and cultural climate in which artists work.

Together, the images and text of this volume constitute both an introduction to, and an exploration of, the most vital age of American photography. This era began just over a century ago with the advent of the dry-plate and the hand camera; now, in the mid-1990s photography is in the midst of another revolution, one brought on by the impact of the computer.

An American Century of Photography documents this remarkable evolution through a detailed discussion of leading photographers and the reproduction of a great variety of images, from such famous works as Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother to many that were previously little known or unpublished. The variety of this selection will greatly expand understanding of the complexities and riches of American photography.

In addition, this volume takes a broad view of its subject by including important European artists who emigrated to the United States in the 1930s, such as Andre Kertesz, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and others.