Focus

Library Journal

Newhall's accomplishments in photography include establishing the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art (and being appointed its first curator); writing a landmark publication The History of Photography (Museum of Modern Art, 1982. 5th rev. ed.); and being named first permanent curator of the George Eastman House. His tireless efforts to achieve intellectual recognition for photography as a creative, artistic medium have resulted in the medium's inclusion in academic curricula and in fine arts museums. These engaging memoirs recount a privileged youth, military service in a photographic reconnaissance unit, friendships with the leading 20th-century photographers, picture-taking in the national parks with Ansel Adams, and the never-ending struggles with museum and academic bureaucracies. Above all, Newhall provides a fresh appreciation for the art of photography. Recommended.-- Joan Levin, MLS, Chicago

Gretchen Garner

Newhall's name has been synonymous with the history of photography ever since the 1937 historical exhibition he mounted at the Museum of Modern Art, the catalog for which has been, through several editions, the standard text on the subject. In these memoirs we meet the man himself as well as the many notable figures he encountered in his pioneering role as the first American to be curator of photography at major museums--first the Museum of Modern Art and later the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Most important of these figures was his wife, Nancy, who worked closely with him throughout their life together. Her taste, writing skills, and enthusiasm were profoundly important to his success--and that importance is honored here. Lacking the kind of racy personal material commonplace in what Jill Johnston calls the "plebe autobiography," the book instead recalls a life of great distinction and even, sometimes, fascination. Reading about the shaky beginnings of photography in American museums will captivate anyone interested in art photography, as will reading about Newhall's antipathy for Edward Steichen and the effect it had on Newhall's career. Highly recommended for art collections.