For one photographer to capture something as elusive, and indeed personal, as the American dream could be seen as an unreachable goal, yet Californian collector Stephen L White built a collection around this very theme.
In 2001 the collection went on show at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The curator Andreas Bluhm wrote at the time that he was astonished by the photographs spread out before him. He said:
"Their compelling otherness, the sense of both relationship and difference, the confirmation and almost simultaneous repudiation of my European prejudices - all this fascinated the art historian in me."
It's certainly a collection well worth a look, a detailed look. The collection comprises 102 photographs split into three sections, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Here are a few of the many pictures that attracted my attention.
Andrew J Russell's photograph of the final nail being driven into the Union Pacific Railroad is one such picture. It's a wonderful visual record of an important point in history.
The picture shows representatives of the east and west railroads along with workers, officials, and politicians who were on hand to see Governor Leland Stanford drive in the ceremonial golden spike to officially join the rails of the transcontinental railroad.
Another picture of note is Lewis Hine's photograph of a trapper boy. Hine's caption to this photograph reads:
"Vance, a trapper boy, 15 years old. Has trapped for several years in a West Virginia coal mine at 75 cents a day for 10 hours work. All he does is to open and shut this door: most of the time he sits here idle, waiting for the cars to come. On account of the intense darkness in the mine, the hieroglyphics on the door were not visible until plate was developed."
Hine was one of the first to use photography as part of a campaign for social change. One area of his work was for the National Child Labour Committee and many of his pictures show the interaction between man and machine as the workplace modernized at the start of the 20th Century.
The next one is a collection of home snaps. It is a family photo album entitled Kodak with 102 original photographs, on 13 leaves. The pictures were taken using the first Kodak box camera which was introduced in 1888.
The pictures feature Belle DuBois, who is described as a fashionably attired young woman, and in addition to family members the album contains photographs of friends and neighbours, scenes of the town and interiors of the DuBois home.
It's a brief glimpse into someone's life nearly 125 years ago. There was time, the moment the shutter clicked, when these moments were now, when Belle DuBois' life was yet to unfold.
Another picture that stands out is a record of the first moments of flight. It is titled as First Flight, 120 Feet in 12 Seconds, 10:35am, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. And credited to John T Daniels.
It shows Orville Wright at the controls of the plane, with Wilbur Wright running alongside. The auction house notes tell us that:
"John T Daniels photographed all four flights made that day, which are considered to be the first and only photographs taken by Daniels in his lifetime. Orville preset the camera and Daniels snapped the now famous image, almost forgetting to squeeze the shutter since he was overcome by excitement seeing the plane lift off the ground. This image is sometimes attributed to William Mayfield, who was a Dayton-based photographer and close friend of the Wright Brothers."
No collection of American pictures would be complete without at least one by Alfred Stieglitz. This picture entitled Going Home by Ferry, New York City was taken in 1902.
The print is only one of two versions of the photograph believed to be in existence and it feels so modern. The feel of the rush hour has changed little in the intervening years, you can almost breath the atmosphere on the ferry, the desire to be home, to finish the journey that is made so robotically.
A contrasting picture of New York taken by Berenice Abbott is also among the collection, this one is called Theoline, Pier 11, East River, Manhattan, New York, 1936.
Finally anything by Garry Winogrand always gets my vote, and this one, Untitled (woman in a gallery), was taken sometime between 1965 and 1975 though printed in the early 1980s. Winogrand's signature and edition notations 76/80 can be seen in pencil on the back of the print.
It's a typical shot by Winogrand, where nothing but the picture matters, who the subject is or where they are, not an issue, what you see is the be all and end all.
The Stephen L White collection is being auctioned at in New York on 23 March 2010.
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