In a Rugged Land: Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and the Three Mormon Towns Collaboration, 1953–1954

Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Photography & Video

In a Rugged Land: Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and the Three Mormon Towns Collaboration, 1953–1954 Details

Review “High-echelon photo-journalism isn't what's thought of in the work of Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams. Yet the Three Mormon Towns project is that—and more. Two confident veteran photographers in 1954 went in, captured remarkable images, crafted a story for Life, roiled the rural Mormon residents who opened their doors, and stirred a hornet's nest that affected the later work of each artist. James Swensen's study is a wondrous testament to the sometimes fearsome consequence of fieldwork and the costs of collaboration.” —Paul Starrs, author of Let the Cowboy Ride: Cattle Ranching in the American West  “Although this collaborative project is not well known today, it illuminates a pivotal era in the history of rural Utah and Mormonism and showcases the immense talent of Adams and Lange. Three Mormon Towns deserves to be remembered and commemorated. Thanks to this book it will be.” —Brian Q. Cannon, coauthor of The Awkward State of Utah“I am strongly impressed by the depth of Swensen's research and his willingness to interview people he could locate who were living in those towns at the time of the project. This book…deserves to be read for all that it has to say, and show, about life in that corner of Utah, where all three towns are still alive, along with all those not photographed by Lange and Adams.” —Association for Mormon Letters Read more About the Author James R. Swensen is an associate professor of art history and the history of photography at Brigham Young University. He is the author of Picturing Migrants: The Grapes of Wrath and New Deal Documentary Photography and the recipient of the 2016–2019 Butler Young Scholar Award from the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies.    Read more

Reviews

Southern Utah in the early 1950s was the focus of the collaboration of the Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange photography project among the Mormon people and their beautiful mountains. Part of the story includes Maynard Dixon's influence and paintings.Swensen's masterful portrayal of these artists and their struggles to achieve such a treasure of photos is told well in this photo documentary. Told too is the story of the people who scratched out an existence in the barren desert's colorful landscape.Included in the many stories is one of a woman born in England in the 1850s who immigated and crossed the Great Plains as a child and lived long enough to share her experiences in the 1950s.This is Swensen's second work of Dorothea Lange and reveals what small American towns were like during the Korean War. Shown in well-printed format this volume reveals the souls of hardworking people building something that lasted.At the same time and place if these extraordinary photos,John Ford filmed some of his greatest western movies, while the famous sociologist Thomas F. O'Dea was making his landmark study of the Mormon people.My only disappointment was the book's availability only in Kindle or large paperbound print versions, rather than hardback; however, both provide lower cost options for a broader audience. If you love photography and American history, then this is a worthwhile investment.

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