Solomon D. Butcher: Photographing the American Dream

Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1985. K2 - A first edition (no additional printing) hardcover book SIGNED by John E. Carter with "Best Wishes 3/86" written on the title page in very good condition in good dust jacket that is mylar protected. Dust jacket has less than an inch tear with wrinkling on the back bottom left corner, wrinkling, chipping and crease on the edges and corners, scattered scratches, rubbing, scuffing and light stains, light tanning and shelf wear. Book has some bumped corners, scattered foxing on the page edges and edges and sides on some inside pages, light tanning and shelf wear. The 120 photographs are superbly reproduced in duotone. Everyone interested in the plains pioneers or historical American photography will prize this splendid book. 10"x10.5", 139 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. For millions of Americans, Solomon D. Butcher's photographs epitomize the sod-house frontier. His images from western Nebraska constitute the most extensive photographic record in existence of the generation that settled the Great Plains. Their faces are imprinted on our mind: jaunty bachelors and earnest husbands (Civil War veterans of both armies), spinster sodbusters and determined mothers, cowhands, farmhands, and former slaves - all in search of land of their own. This first book devoted to Butcher and his photos presents a unique visual chronicle of that epoch, firmly establishing Butcher's place in frontier photography. In a substantial introduction, John E. Carter traces the variegated career of the Virginia-born photographer who was himself an emigrant to the Nebraska plains. He combines critical analysis with historiography to situate Butcher in western history as well as in the history of photography and to assess his achievements in both arenas. Exploring the nature of Butcher's work, its scope and content, and its significance, the bio-critical essay offers a perspective for evaluating the historical evidence found in his work and new insights into the evolution of his style and subject matter. . Signed by Author. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.