Photographing the Mexican Revolution

Commitments, Testimonies, Icons

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, Photography, Pictorials, History, Americas, Mexico
Cover of the book Photographing the Mexican Revolution by John Mraz, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Mraz ISBN: 9780292742833
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: John Mraz
ISBN: 9780292742833
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

The Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 is among the world’s most visually documented revolutions. Coinciding with the birth of filmmaking and the increased mobility offered by the reflex camera, it received extraordinary coverage by photographers and cineastes—commercial and amateur, national and international. Many images of the Revolution remain iconic to this day—Francisco Villa galloping toward the camera; Villa lolling in the presidential chair next to Emiliano Zapata; and Zapata standing stolidly in charro raiment with a carbine in one hand and the other hand on a sword, to mention only a few. But the identities of those who created the thousands of extant images of the Mexican Revolution, and what their purposes were, remain a huge puzzle because photographers constantly plagiarized each other’s images.

In this pathfinding book, acclaimed photography historian John Mraz carries out a monumental analysis of photographs produced during the Mexican Revolution, focusing primarily on those made by Mexicans, in order to discover who took the images and why, to what ends, with what intentions, and for whom. He explores how photographers expressed their commitments visually, what aesthetic strategies they employed, and which identifications and identities they forged. Mraz demonstrates that, contrary to the myth that Agustín Víctor Casasola was “the photographer of the Revolution,” there were many who covered the long civil war, including women. He shows that specific photographers can even be linked to the contending forces and reveals a pattern of commitment that has been little commented upon in previous studies (and completely unexplored in the photography of other revolutions).

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 is among the world’s most visually documented revolutions. Coinciding with the birth of filmmaking and the increased mobility offered by the reflex camera, it received extraordinary coverage by photographers and cineastes—commercial and amateur, national and international. Many images of the Revolution remain iconic to this day—Francisco Villa galloping toward the camera; Villa lolling in the presidential chair next to Emiliano Zapata; and Zapata standing stolidly in charro raiment with a carbine in one hand and the other hand on a sword, to mention only a few. But the identities of those who created the thousands of extant images of the Mexican Revolution, and what their purposes were, remain a huge puzzle because photographers constantly plagiarized each other’s images.

In this pathfinding book, acclaimed photography historian John Mraz carries out a monumental analysis of photographs produced during the Mexican Revolution, focusing primarily on those made by Mexicans, in order to discover who took the images and why, to what ends, with what intentions, and for whom. He explores how photographers expressed their commitments visually, what aesthetic strategies they employed, and which identifications and identities they forged. Mraz demonstrates that, contrary to the myth that Agustín Víctor Casasola was “the photographer of the Revolution,” there were many who covered the long civil war, including women. He shows that specific photographers can even be linked to the contending forces and reveals a pattern of commitment that has been little commented upon in previous studies (and completely unexplored in the photography of other revolutions).

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book The Colombian Novel, 1844-1987 by John Mraz
Cover of the book Iranian Intellectuals in the Twentieth Century by John Mraz
Cover of the book Mother Earth and Uncle Sam by John Mraz
Cover of the book Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws by John Mraz
Cover of the book Profiles in Power by John Mraz
Cover of the book Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing by John Mraz
Cover of the book Wildlife Sanctuaries and the Audubon Society by John Mraz
Cover of the book Amazon Sweet Sea by John Mraz
Cover of the book Photopoetics at Tlatelolco by John Mraz
Cover of the book Maya for Travelers and Students by John Mraz
Cover of the book Together, Alone by John Mraz
Cover of the book Case Marking and Grammatical Relations in Polynesian by John Mraz
Cover of the book Reclaiming a Plundered Past by John Mraz
Cover of the book Carlos Lacerda, Brazilian Crusader by John Mraz
Cover of the book The Southeast Maya Periphery by John Mraz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy