Between the Covers

Softcover. Oblong quarto. Measuring 11¾" x 7”. String-tied flexible full leather wallet-style album with snaps. Containing 260 black and white gelatin silver photographs inserted into corner mounts, nearly all captioned in white album ink. Most photos measure between 3”x 3” and 3” x 5”, with about 15 smaller images. Album very good minus with moderate wear, losses to back strip and large tears to the foldover; internally fine with one photo lacking and a few with minor fading.

A splendid collection of photos put together by a young man using a print process that created razor sharp images. A large portion of the photos were taken in and around Winslow, Arizona but there are several photos of other trips in the West: California, New Mexico, and Colorado, as well as a few of trips to New York and New Jersey.

In addition to Winslow, other locations from the early days of Arizona statehood are shown including Sunshine, the Blue Ridge Reservoir, Flagstaff, Horseshoe Bend, and various other small towns. Pictures include a lumber mill, numerous mines, a Native American School, frolicking at the swimming hole, a Navajo Trading post, and every variety of majestic scenery. There are snow scenes, desolate railway stations, even a British tank loaded on a train car. 13 wonderful photos are devoted to a Liberty Loan parade. There are plenty that show ranch life including time spent on the Quayle Ranch with several images of Charles Quayle who was shot and killed by a forest ranger a couple of years after the photos were taken.

Of the Arizona images, a fair amount depict posed family and friends. These rarely interest us, but many in this album combine regional clothing with the spirit of the first descendants of pioneers in a way that seems curiously prescient of images that would emerge from the Dust Bowl, a decade and a half later.

Among the small complement of Southern California images are a couple of stellar shots of downtown Los Angeles and the Long Beach Pier. The East Coast images set in New Jersey include several views of New Brunswick and ice skating in Milltown. The New York images include several of large ships on the Hudson River.

An arrestingly composed album with an unusual number of exceptionally nice photos created by a talented amateur photographer.

Item #409567