Diverse Images
New Orleans Museum of Art
American Photographic Book Publishing (Amphoto), 1979, 136 pages
ISBN 0-8174-2484-9
The photographs featured in this book are from the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art. As the title suggests, there is no unifying theme or criteria here; it's just a collection of unrelated photographs presented in no particular order.
These ninety-six black & white photographs are drawn from all eras of photography, from the 1840's to the 1970's. Works are included from acknowledged masters of the craft as well as relatively unknown photographers.
The book is printed using the duotone process, which allows more accurate reproduction of photographs than the usual single color printing. Many of the images are printed in sepia tones rather than straight black & white. When the original print is smaller than the book's page size, it is reproduced at actual size, so there are a few pages featuring relatively tiny photos.
Text is limited to just a Preface and an Introduction. Photo captions give the photographer's name, basic biographical information, and the title & date of the photo. More detailed information on the photos, including size and type of print, is available in the List of Photographs in the back of the book. Also included is a complete catalog of the Museum's photography collection, which, of course, is now way out of date.
This is an interesting book, if you don't mind how random it all is.