Village Voice Literary Supplement
"...skillfully unravels the hidden politics behind the imagery."
Book Description
In this dazzling collection of over 200 photos of pregnant women taken from art libraries, childbirth manuals, maternity ads, contemporary art, and personal albums, the authors explore the paradox between image and reality. The photos illuminate how society creates feminine roles through the institution of pregnancy-and how women resist such roles.
About the Author
Sandra Matthews is a writer and photographer. Essays of hers have appeared in Afterimage and Exposure, and her photographs have been exhibited internationally. She is also Associate Professor of Film and Photography at Hampshire College.Laura Wexler is Associate Professor of American Studies and Women's Studies at Yale University. She is the author of the forthcoming Tender Violence: Domestic Images in an Age of U.S. Imperialism.
Pregnant Pictures FROM THE PUBLISHER
In this dazzling collection of over 200 photos of pregnant women taken from art libraries, childbirth manuals, maternity ads, contemporary art, and personal albums, the authors explore the paradox between image and reality. The photos illuminate how society creates
feminine roles through the institution of pregnancy-and how women resist such roles.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Matthews (film and photography, Hampshire College) and Wexler (American studies and women's studies, Yale University) have assembled approximately 200 photographs of pregnant women in the 20th century. The photographs include images from medical textbooks, childbirth manuals, ads for maternity clothing, family snapshots, fine art photos, and celebrity portraits. The text considers what such images say about our society's attitudes toward women, sex, and reproduction. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Art & Photography
Book Info
