Life on the Mississippi in the heyday of the steamboat lives in our imaginations through the artistry of Mark Twain; Edna Ferber; and Hollywood films; or perhaps a glimpse of a salvaged riverboat living out its last years as a theme restaurant. Surely the Mississippi steamboat era is among the most colorful and romantic in our history. But what was it really like; beyond our secondhand notions of stalwart river pilots; wayward boys and runaway slaves; of gamblers in tall hats and ladies in hoopskirts; of cotton; cakewalks; and carpetbaggers.This extraordinary book of recently discovered photographs; taken by a father and son who were professional photographers in Natchez; Mississippi; brings us for the first time a stunning array of images of steamboat life as it really was mdash; from its glory days in the post-Civil War era to its demise in the years immediately following World War I.The photographers are Henry Norman and his son Earl. With boundless enthusiasm and curiosity; and the consummate skills of pictorial artists; they captured the beauties and rigors of a half-century of life on the Mississippi. Their priceless legacy has been preserved by Joan and Thomas Gandy; who recently acquired the extremely rare and valuable negatives and here present a collection of 170 of the most spectacular and arresting photographs of steamboat life.Together with an extremely informative text; replete with detailed information and fascinating anecdotes; the photographs make up a splendid account of the major steamboats that plied the great waterway and their essential social and economic role in river life. Vivid; beautifully composed images of stately ships; luxurious interiors; shipboard life; picturesque river towns; busy landings; paddle wheelers laden with cotton and other cargoes; and the disasters that claimed so many of these proud craft; comprise a stunning firsthand account of a long-lost mdash; but now accurately; lovingly recaptured mdash; way of American life.
#1859004 in eBooks 2012-07-03 2012-06-05File Name: B00A73AQGS
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. a fascinating book with important information on north koreaBy Merrily BairdIt is quite a delight these days to read a book on North Korea that manages to be politically relevant and insightful without focusing on the countrys drive to acquire nuclear weapons; its appalling human rights record; or the self-absorbed behavior of its current leader; Kim Chong-il. This refreshingly different approach is what Jane Portal offers in her 2005 publication; "Art Under Control in North Korea." Portal; an assistant curator of Asian Art at the British Museum and author of a previous book on the history of Korean art; has worked hard to provide a political context for the arts in North Korea; and; overall; has proven herself a reliable scholar on this front.That a study of the arts in North Korea should be so important is due to two circumstances: in nearly all cases; the visual; performing; and written arts are controlled by the state and the official micromanaging them since the early 1970s at least is none other than Kim Chong-il. The fact that art exists to serve the state is tackled in an introduction that puts the North Korean arts scene into historical context by offering valuable comparative background on the USSR; China; and Nazi Germany; and there then follow two more chapters that review North Koreas history. From Chapter 4 forward; Portal takes a close look at how art has been used to promote the cult of the two Kims--Kim Chong-il and his late father Kim Il-song. The changing themes and styles in art; the institutions set up to create the art; and timelines for the dedication of particularly important public works of art are all dealt with in a neutral; businesslike manner.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Government Art...By Michael ValdivielsoArt Under Control In North Korea; by Jane Portal; is a wonderful book on the development of propaganda in North Korea under the Communists. The first chapter deals with art made for governments; with heavy focus on the USSR and China which both influenced Kim Il-kwang and North Koreas system of government.The second chapter deals with the history of Korea and its art. The third focuses on North Korean politics and society starting in 1953 and; of course; how that shaped the art world within the nation. The fourth chapter deals with the Cult that built up around Kim and the fifth chapter; one I found very interesting; was the changing and shaping of Koreas history by the Northern government. The last chapter; which I also found interesting; dealt with the history of the art schools and major artists of North Korea.I would suggest reading Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea after finishing this book for a more first hand account of North Korea and its society.