Mothers and Children

[Sacramento, CA], 2008. Artist's book, one of 4 copies only, each containing a suite of 10 silver gelatin prints, the prints on doubleweight fiber base Bergger developing out paper, as well as a commentary of about 1000 words, printed on Mohawk Superfine paper, both the photographs and commentary by William T. Vollmann. Each print is signed and numbered in pencil on the reverse by the artist / author. The original text written by the author / artist for this portfolio, is printed letterpress, and signed by him on the Colophon. Page size: 16 x 20-1/8 inches (matted photographs) and 8-1/2 x 11 inches (text and captions) totalling 17pp.which includes the titlepage, 10 gelatin prints, colophon, and five pages of captions housed in envelope on inside back over of clamshell box. The titlepage is hand-lettered by Mr. Vollmann. The colophon / artist's statement plus 5 pages of captions, one for each image, are printed letterpress by David Ward of The Applecart Press, Brunswick, Maine. Bound: loose as issued in custom-made grey cloth clamshell box, with hand painted and lettered label by William Vollmann on the front panel and another label on the spine with the title only in Mr. Vollmann's hand. The box is lined with light and a darker mauve paper, the darker mauve paper forming the envelope on the inside back cover holding the Colophon and Captions.
Each of the ten 11 x 14 inch silver gelatin prints is matted to a size of 16 x 20-1/8 inches. The original 35 mm negatives were shot by Mr. Vollmann but commercially developed at various labs in and out of the United States. Mr. Vollmann used Contax T2 cameras to capture the images and made these prints on his Leitz Focomat IC enlarger. The artist / author has provided some cross-references as to images other appearances, if they exist, in his captions. He notes that it never occurred to him to assemble a portfolio on the topic of MOTHERS AND CHILDREN. He adds that when the earliest of these images was taken (2005) the topic would have struck him as "suspect and sentimental. But the gazes of the mothers and children in these images had already haunted me for themselves, and once I finally noticed their commonality, they became something more to me than they already were." Indeed, these images of women and children, representing disparate nationalities and ethnic groups, seem more potent because of the cross-section of humanity represented. They are not sentimental in the least; rather, they are full of dignity. Some appear gentle, some proud and fierce. All have the power to touch the viewer.