Jim Linderman American Portraits: Midwest Mundane.
80 Pages 2010 published by Blurb.com
Not celebration, but documentation of a people, place and time which existed briefly in captured snaps of Central Michigan during and immediately after the Second World War. In Middle America on the cusp of the 1950s, a family fights isolation with few choices, missing sons, distant neighbors and a seemingly bleak, unfortunate reality. Black and white portraits by an anonymous photographer, these are the images he left behind. Preview at right or HERE
Additional photogaphs from the book HERE
Original Photographs Anonymous, circa 1943-1948 Collection Jim Linderman
Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI would highly recommend a look at these depression era amateur films (there are several parts). These photos reminded me of them.
http://www.archive.org/details/sIvanBes1938_2
In 1938,Mr. Besse, a projectionist at the Strand cinema made movies in around his home town of Britton, S. Dakota. Apparently here still lives there today, and the cinema is still open!
Thank you Alex. I found exactly 100 photographs, nearly all frontal and nice, so I published 80 of them. Quite a find. Jim
ReplyDeleteNearly every person in the top photo has their eyes closed or averted because of the bright sunlight.
ReplyDeleteOr because he told them too...It was wartime, and it might have been a prayer for a son? At any rate, it has the highest ratio of closed eyes versus open in any photo i've seen! Thanks Robert.
ReplyDeleteThese remind me of the work of Mike Disfarmer, (even though his were studio portraits) who was taking photos in Arkansas around this same time. So realistic, yet solemn. Love these.
ReplyDeleteThank you. The most remarkable aspect to me was the consistency. I found exactly 100 photographs, of which 80 are published in the book...and nearly every one is frontal, direct, pure and forlorn. Stilted, troubled and broke.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciate the comments.