Evento

Evening @ the Barn: Still - American Silent Motion Picture Photography

Presented by author David S. Shields

The American silent movie was one of the most significant popular art forms of the modern age. However, it is also one that is largely lost to us. We now know about many of these lost silent films only from the collections of still portraits and production photographs that were originally created for publicity and reference. Shields chronicles the evolution of silent film aesthetics, glamour, and publicity, and provides unparalleled insight into this influential body of popular imagery.

Exploring the work of over sixty camera artists, Still recovers the stories of the photographers and the stars and starlets who sat for them between 1908 and 1928. Shields follows photographers such as Albert Witzel and W. F. Seely as they devised the poses that mimicked the sultry stares and dangerous glances of silent stars. And he details how still photographs changed the film industry.

Following the presentation, Mr. Shields will be signing copies of his book.