The African lookbook : a visual history of 100 years of African women / Catherine E. McKinley ; introduction by Edwidge Danticat ; foreword by Jacqueline Woodson.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021Description: xxv, 207 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 23 cmContent type: - text
- still image
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781620403532
- 1620403536
- African look book
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 305.4096 M158 | Available | 33111010464242 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Winner of the African Photobook of the Year Award
A Choice Outstanding Title of the Year
A USA Today "Must-Read for Black History Month"
An NPR "Goats and Soda" Editors' Pick
A BookRiot Favorite Nonfiction Book of the Year
An unprecedented visual history of African women told in striking and subversive historical photographs--featuring an Introduction by Edwidge Danticat and a Foreword by Jacqueline Woodson.
Most of us grew up with images of African women that were purely anthropological--bright displays of exotica where the deeper personhood seemed tucked away. Or they were chronicles of war and poverty--"poverty porn." But now, curator Catherine E. McKinley draws on her extensive collection of historical and contemporary photos to present a visual history spanning a hundred-year arc (1870-1970) of what is among the earliest photography on the continent. These images tell a different story of African women: how deeply cosmopolitan and modern they are in their style; how they were able to reclaim the tools of the colonial oppression that threatened their selfhood and livelihoods.
Featuring works by celebrated African masters, African studios of local legend, and anonymous artists, The African Lookbook captures the dignity, playfulness, austerity, grandeur, and fantasy-making of African women across centuries. McKinley also features photos by Europeans--most starkly, striking nudes--revealing the relationships between white men and the Black female sitters where, at best, a grave power imbalance lies. It's a bittersweet truth that when there is exploitation there can also be profound resistance expressed in unexpected ways--even if it's only in gazing back. These photos tell the story of how the sewing machine and the camera became powerful tools for women's self-expression, revealing a truly glorious display of everyday beauty.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-192) and index.
Heritage: the African masters, 1900s-1970s -- With a certain eye: the colonial studio, 1870-1957 -- Dressing and undressing, 1900-1940 -- Clothes for a new nation: independence and post-independence, 1957-1970s -- Postnote.
A curator and writer, drawing on her extensive collection of historical and contemporary photos, presents this unprecedented visual history of African women across centuries.
McKinley draws on her extensive collection of historical and contemporary photos to present a visual history of African women across centuries. These images tell how deeply cosmopolitan and modern they are in their style; how they were able to reclaim the tools of the colonial oppression that threatened their selfhood and livelihoods. She shows that, while African studios captured the dignity, austerity, and grandeur of African women, photos by Europeans are mostly nudes, revealing the relationships of white men and Black females: at best, a grave power imbalance. -- adapted from jacket