Dreaming in Pictures: The Photography of Lewis Carroll

Book Description

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and other beloved children's books. But before achieving fame as an author, Carroll was a prolific and sophisticated photographer, acutely engaged in the art world of Victorian England. This beautifully illustrated book is the first to examine Carroll's photographs not as the sideline of a celebrated writer, but as the creations of a serious photographic artist-and to demonstrate their importance to the history of photography.

Douglas R. Nickel traces the evolution in thought about Carroll's photography in the period since his death, demonstrating the ways it has been viewed largely through the filter of his literary reputation. Key to this have been certain preconceptions built up around Carroll's attitudes toward children, especially Alice Liddell, the inspiration for his first book and the subject of a number of his photographs. Nickel demonstrates how, by overturning the modern myths that have attached themselves to Carroll's photography, the works themselves can be seen again as they were by their original Victorian viewers. This analysis reveals not only Carroll's signal achievement in the medium, but also a new understanding of Victorian art photography in general.

This volume serves as the catalogue for an exhibition organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, on view from August to November, 2002, which then travels to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (February to May 2003), the International Center for Photography in New York (June to September 2003), and the Art Institute of Chicago (October 2003 to January 2004).

Customer Reviews:

"and you, i suppose, dream in pictures." - Tennyson.......2007-03-19

Nichols has done a fantastic job of collecting some of Carroll's (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson's) most memorable images here in his book. Why the title? Perhaps because so many of Dodgson's images are of various states of somnolence... only Nichols can answer this question, or perhaps that Dodgson was a dreamer, for we know this for he was, after all, the force behind the Alice books, Sylvie and Bruno, The Hunting of the Snark (all under the name Lewis Carroll, whereas his photography was under the name Charles Dodgson, his real name.)

Nichols provides a thorough and interesting history here, although note this is not really a book for anyone who is not seriously interested in Dodgson's work as a photographer - if you really want to get to know Dodgson by all means, buy this book!!! Also buy Edward Wakeling's fine book at the same time, The Princeton Collection, which is self-explanatory and more of Dodgson's work, also with some exposition.

A beautiful book, a rare treasure, and a delight for the scholar as well as perhaps, the lay-reader willing to delve fathoms deeper into Dodgson's work.

Well worth the dive ~

sadi ranson-polizzotti

Good for the Carroll collector or as a reminder of the exhibit.......2007-01-04

This book was meant to accompany the exhibit of the photography of Lewis Carroll that visited the San Francisco Museum of Art in 2002, Houston in 2003, and the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004. Each photo has an attached discussion. The introduction to the collection by Director Neal Benezna is short and sweet. The discussions of the history and esthetics of Victoria photography (hagiography, prelapsarian freedom, tableaux vivants, historical reconstructions, imaginary themes, etc.) by author Douglas R. Nickel is useful and accurate as it appeared entirely based on the authoritative biography of Carroll by Cohen and on the scholarly work of Karoline Leach in her book "In the Shadow of the Dreamchild." Like Lewis Carroll's photos, this book has the excellent quality of directness, and an aesthetic purity that springs from a delight in the beautiful. Unfortunately, no nudes appeared in the exhibit and only one made its way into the book (Evelyn Hatch, figure 17, page 66.) That's a pity as it reflects badly on the freedom of artistic expression that Lewis Carroll championed. Another negative: The colored-in photos are not represented. They were interesting for many reasons and in a way anticipated the advent of color photography. I have five of them in my collection. They are truly beautiful and were photographed by Carroll and may have been colored by Carroll himself or by Miss Thompson, his woman friend.

following Leach.......2004-01-05

The whole of the 'biographical' section of this book seems to be taken from Karoline Leach's insane and scurrilous book 'In the Shadow of the Dreamchild', from which it borrows the whole crazy concept of the so called 'Carroll myth'.

Book Description

Long before he published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson ("Lewis Carroll" to the world) took up photography as a hobby. Unlike most of the other amateurs in his circle, he persevered to become a dedicated, prolific, and remarkably gifted photographer, creating approximately 3,000 images during his twenty-five years of photographic activity. This handsomely designed volume makes clear the remarkable extent and complexity of Carroll's photographic art. It publishes for the first time the world's finest and most extensive collection of Carroll photographs, many of which have never been reproduced before and are unknown even to committed Carroll enthusiasts.

Roger Taylor's thorough and sophisticated discussion of Carroll as a photographic artist and as a prominent member of Victorian society reveals the man as never before, illuminating his relationships with the children he photographed in light of the idealism and social conventions of the day. This text, illustrated with exquisite tritone plates, is followed by Edward Wakeling's fully illustrated and thoroughly annotated catalogue of the entire Princeton University Library collection. It features, in addition to a trove of loose prints, four rare albums made by Carroll himself to showcase his work to friends, family, and potential sitters. Reproduced in album order, these images offer new insight into how Carroll thought about his work--and how he wanted it to be seen.

Compelling portraits of Alice Liddell and other children are presented alongside those of eminent Victorians such as Alfred Tennyson and William Holman Hunt, as well as evocative landscapes, narrative tableaux, and wonderfully strange studies of anatomical skeletons. The catalogue is followed by a chronological register of every known Carroll photograph--a remarkable resource for anyone studying his career as a photographer.

This sumptuous volume is the definitive work on Carroll's photography. All who admire Carroll and his writing, as well as everyone interested in Victorian England or the history of photography, will find it both essential and irresistible.

Customer Reviews:

G-RATED. SUITABLE FOR COFFEE TABLE OR KIDS.......2007-08-15

The photos of the kids are remarkable, All are lovely, and some show faces filled with determination, as the one of Alice as begger girl or another child as little Red Riding Hood. There is a single, dignified semi-nude of a 20 plus year old girl by another phoographer.

Children who read or have read to them the story of Alice (God forbid the
horror by Disney) may look upon the face of the real Alice as child. The book is quite suitable for children. There is not the slightest hint of
the lurid.

When children have the stories explained as logical absurdities, in an unacademical way, they remember. Dodgson was at least highly talented, perhaps a genius; his genius or talent shows up in his photographs. I only wish I had such an eye and ear for creating (writing) and catching (photos) beauty and wonder.
To me Lewis Carroll always seemed much like Dante. I used to read my little sister both when she was small to show her that Dante was just stories, not to be taken seriously (as having any truth)and that Carroll was reason turned upside down and fun. Dante had his Beatricci, and Lewis Carroll had his Alice. Both men were much older than the beloved; both men gave apotheosis to the beloved; both had imagination hard to equal.

This book provides a link to the mind of Lewis Carroll, and it is beautiful in places. Most of the most beautiful photos are to be found free on the www.

The Photographs of a victorian pedophile.......2007-08-12

Some years ago an"expert",a respected college professor,put out a revisionist history of the notorious political corruptor William M.Tweed,in which his"research"alledgedly "proved"that the old crooked boss was,of all things,a victim of the new york times and the good-government forces of that time period..Not many people bought that novel theory,and even fewer will buy the notion that Lewis Carroll,writer,oxford don,photographer,was not also a closet pedophile..One need only look at the man's work,wherein he poses little girls in naked and half-naked situations designed to appeal to the more lurid aspects of one's imagination..Sure,other photographers of the victorian period also took naked pictures of little children,but this neither excuses them nor does it excuse Lewis Carroll..pornography is pornography,and this stance is not mitigated by the fact that a lot of people are involved in it...The fact that this is the same fellow who also wrote"Alice in Wonderland" also does not excuse him...One need only take a long,hard look at this man's private life,and then consider that,out of all of the subjects he chose to photograph,little girls in half naked poses were his favorite,to dismiss the one or two current,revisionist voices who insist that Carroll was not a pedophile..
There is also the incident which ended the long-standing relationship between Carroll and Oxford dean Liddell,father of several small children,one of which,Alice Liddell,happened to be Carroll's model for his own"alice"of "wonderland"fame(in point of fact Carroll did not use the term"wonderland"but instead called his book"Alice through the looking glass)to further be convinced of Carroll's misdeeds..Although no definitive evidence exists which can say exactly what the incident that destroyed thier relationship was,Alice Liddell herself hinted,in later life,that it involved something Carroll did with her sister..Given that both Carroll and Dean Liddell were upper class,and therefore horrified of any hint of scandal,especially scandal involving a subject that might in any way involve pedophilia,it is no wonder that today,more than 100 years after the fact,there is so very little "evidence"to pin down exactly what happened..Alice Liddell was not the only little girl that Carroll like to photograph,and some few of the others were not so reluctant to hint rather broadly at Carroll's peculiarities,and these hints tend to over-shadow all of the revisionist twaddle that today not only passes for scholarship,but is used to "redeem"Carroll..
This volume shows off Carroll's pictures,including the many that he took of naked and half-naked little girls..Taylor's text is definitive in a way that no revisionist balderdash could ever be.

Squeamish and out of date.......2004-04-29

The trouble with this book is that in trying to address Carroll's
photography of children it uses perspectives and arguments that were already defunct and discredited before the book went into print.

The best defence pf Carroll's relationship with the nude child has been offered by Hugues Lebailly and Karoline Leach, who both have shown that we have misunderstood Carroll by failing to set him in the correct social background of his time.
Basically, during the Victorian age EVERYONE as making nude studies of children, and Carroll was merely being trendy when he did the same. The mistake as been to forget this and see his actions in isolation.

This revelation of the 'Victorian Cult of the Child' has revolutionised our understanding of Carroll, but Taylor in this book makes almost no use of it at all.

Instead he revives very weak and illogical arguments to 'defend' Dodgson, claiming, for example, that Dodgson didn't take many nude pictures, as if this in itself precludes the suspicion of paedophilia.

It doesn't. In fact it's a pale and dishonest argument. The only thing that defends Dodgson against paedophilia is the research of Leach and Lebailly which Taylor so oddly refuses to use to any extent. The result is muddled, dishonest and already out of date.

For the only serious analysis of Lewis Carroll's relationship with the nude child see Leach 'In the Shadow of the Dreamchild'. But if you just want to look at nice pics, then enjoy this book.

The Time has Come....Finally!.......2002-04-23

I've been waiting for this very book for quite some time now. Carroll's photography has never been collected in a full form like many other photographers. Previous books have been light on material and all too heavy on the photographs of young child-friends. This book gives a more even account of Carroll's photography---even going so far as presenting the photographs as he did so in his own albums. Rather than classify his photographs, his albums show a wondrous variety of images---a skeleton of a fish, a landscape, a child-friend, a famous painter, a sculpture, etc.... Though it concentrates on Carroll's one hobby, Roger Taylor's essay is as good as any biography, being a hundred or so pages long. Edward Wakeling contributes insightful captions to each photograph in the Princeton Collection---for all are included! What more could one ask for? Wakeling, one of the leading experts on Carroll with a database of information, even offers his list of all photographs taken by Carroll, a list that will be continually updated. He even gives his email address for those who may have lost photographs.
An indispensable book for the researcher and a delight for the casual photography fan.

Reflections in a Looking Glass: A Centennial Celebration of Lewis Carroll, Photographer

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Reflections in a Looking Glass: A Centennial Celebration of Lewis Carroll, Photographer
Morton N. Cohen
Manufacturer: Aperture
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

History | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Children's Literature Guides | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

ASIN: 0893817961

Book Description

A groundbreaking book, the only volume of first-class reproductions of Lewis Carroll's photographs.

Published on the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), Reflections in a Looking Glass presents Carroll's remarkable photography. Richly illustrated, this important book presents seldom-seen works-most of them formal portraits and staged scenes that combine Carroll's famous childlike sense of play with the Victorian propriety that characterized his age.

Also included in Reflections are selected drawings by Lewis Carroll and by John Tenniel, who illustrated the original Alice books. The central text by Morton N. Cohen, the world's leading authority on Lewis Carroll, provides an in-depth account of Carroll's experimentations in the new medium of photography. His hobby opened the door to many of his "child friends" as well as to leading artistic and literary figures of the day, all of whom came to Carroll's studio to sit for their portraits.

Excerpts from Carroll's diaries combine with Cohen's annotated captions to make this book an invaluable resource. The book also includes a Preface by Mark Haworth-Booth, curator of photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Afterword is by Roy Flukinger, curator of photographs at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin, the source collection for much of the material in this extraordinary book.

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Lewis Carroll, Photographer
Helmut Gernsheim
Manufacturer: Dover Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lewis Carroll and the Kitchins: Containing twenty-five letters not previously published and nineteen of his photographs (Carroll studies)

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Lewis Carroll and the Kitchins: Containing twenty-five letters not previously published and nineteen of his photographs (Carroll studies)
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: Lewis Carroll Society of North America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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LEWIS CARROLL PHOTOGRAPHER
Helmut ; [ Lewis Carroll ] Gernsheim
Manufacturer: Max Parrish and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Lewis Carroll Photographer
Helmut Gernsheim
Manufacturer: UNSPECIFIED VENDOR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lewis Carroll Photographer
Colin Ford
Manufacturer: National Museum of Photog
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Lewis Carroll's Classic Photos of Children: 24 Cards (Card Books)

Average customer rating:

Nice book
Almost perfect selection

Lewis Carroll's Classic Photos of Children: 24 Cards (Card Books)
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Accessory

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Lewis Carroll, Photographer

ASIN: 0486297888

Book Description

From one of the Victorian era’s most prominent writers and most talented amateur photographers—24 remarkably original and beautifully conceived pictures of youngsters in charming, graceful poses. Includes delightful images of Alice Liddell, for whom Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland; Effie and Mary Millais, daughters of English painter John Millais; and others. Captions.

Customer Reviews:

Nice book.......2007-06-05

Nice pictures. I guess the children found it fun to pose for the more dramatic looking ones specially in those far off days when photography was so unfamiliar. The pictures have a real period charm, and are a contrast to the usual stiff Victorian photos. They are art not just photography.

Almost perfect selection.......2006-06-24

The idea of publishing this selection of Lewis Carroll's photographs of his "child friends" is a perfectly fine one. The only drawback I can find is that there is only one picture of the very photogenic and beautiful Alexandra "Xie" Kitchin. She should be far better represented in this set of pictures.

Apart from this, the set gives us a nicely varied selection: The famous profile shot of Alice Liddell sitting sideways on a chair, pretty little Amy Hughes looking off dreamingly. Far from all of Carroll's child models smile, probaply due to the long time the exposure took back then, and the discomfort of holding the same facial expression for what must have feelt like a long time. One exception is the adorable little Beatrice Henley, who back in 1862 posed for the picture in this set. It is also refreshing to see Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson's pen name) very often breaking out of the traditional ways of posing: There is Dymphna Ellis standing on a ladder, looking off. Lying down, or even sleeping (or pretending to) is another favorite pose which Carroll liked, and that too is represented in this set. Those pictures has an true timeless charm which I, at times, find almost breathtakingly beautiful. Please let us have another set!

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Lewis Carroll, Photographer
Helmut Gernsheim
Manufacturer: Dover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

The fourth installment in Checker's eleven-volume treasury focuses on McCay's strip work of early 1908, and continues to present his editorial cartoons, spot illustrations and other works for the New York papers.

Customer Reviews:

A rare bit of the Stuff of Dreams.......2006-02-18

Overall, this is wonderful stuff for McCay fans, but picture quality is spotty.

Reproduction quality varies, often from page to page and all the work is considerably reduced in size. That said, it is pretty much all legible (a few blurry pages in mine - maybe in all?).

About evenly divided into 4 sections - daily Rarebit, Saturday Rarebit, editorial cartoons, and Pilgrim's Progress. So this volume is a little over half filled with Rarebit Fiend (which is what I bought these for). If your interest is in the editorial cartoons (many of which are fascinating and exquisite) you are beter off with "daydreams and Nightmares" or the Canemaker book as these have much better reproductions (but a smaller selection)

When will someone do the complete Rarebit Fiend (incl some color)???

THE FOURTH VOLUME IN THE OUTSTANDING SERIES.......2005-09-27

I've always felt it was important to preserve our popular culture which is why a company like Checker Books is so valuable. Checker has been taking classic comic strips and collecting them into book form and bringing characters like Flash Gordon, Steve Canyon, and Dick Tracy to a whole new generation of fans. Another project that Checker has undertaken is reprinting the works of legendary, early 20th century cartoonist Winsor McCay, creator of Little Nemo in Slumberland.

As little Nemo has seen frequent re-printings over the years, Checker is reprinting all of McCay's other works including his other strips as well as editorial cartoons. This is the fourth in what will eventually be an eleven volume set of these works, and most of this work is seeing print for the first time in nearly one hundred years! The first part of the book reprints his late 1907 to early 1908 "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend" strips wherein the characters have surrealistic, bizarre, and darkly humorous dreams induced by a late night stack of Welsh Rarebit before bed. Now I've never eaten rarebit before but I take it that this concoction of melted cheese, beer, hot sauce/pepper spread over toast was the early 20th century equivalent to a convenience store burrito. Invariably the characters wake up swearing to never eat rarebit again. While the joke itself wears thin after several pages, the delight is seeing what McCay does with his characters while they are in their dreams. They turn into animals, are beset by tiny devils, see flying elephants, etc. You'll notice the strips are signed "Silas". Due to his contract, McCay could not sign them with his own name.

By far the most interesting part of the book is the section that reprints many of McCay's editorial cartoons that he did while working for the New York Herald, New York Telegram, and New York American. Unconfined by the panel format, these cartoons really show off his artistic talent and eye for fine line and detail illustration, not to mention the very edgy nature of the cartoons. One shows Uncle Sam shoveling heaps of undesirable aliens into a barrel labeled "deportation". Another piece with an anti-technology theme depicts a giant, mechanical dinosaur ravaging a city...all this some 70 years before Mecha Godzilla would appear on film! Other editorial cartoons tackle subjects such as World War I and the anti-German sentiment, the plight of American Indians, crime, and poverty. Subjects as topical today as they were back then.

If you're unfamiliar with McCay, this collection of his early works from Checker Books is a great place to start. Hats off to Checker for keeping his work alive.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

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