DOUBLE EXPOSURE - Robert Sullivan

 Timothy O'Sullivan was an American photographer in the 19th century. Some of his photos are among the most iconic of the American Civil War. After the war, O'Sullivan traveled to the American West, raising photography to an art form with his pictures of what was still considered to be unusual locations. His work had an impact on photographer Ansel Adams.

Despite the longevity of his work and his obvious skills, very little is actually known about O'Sullivan, which in many ways mirrors the locations he's photographed - unusual and sometimes forgotten locations that evoke strong emotions.

Author Robert Sullivan sets out to learn more about both - O'Sullivan and his chosen vistas. Along the way, Sullivan reflects on America, the changes that have occurred over the past century, as well as how poorly Indigenous People were treated in O'Sullivan's time and how things haven't changed much there.

I really thought I'd find this book to be more enjoyable than I did. I have a strong interest in photography (especially stereo photography - more on that in a moment) and also in good nature writing, so this looked appealing based on the cover and the description. But Sullivan notes in the beginning that this isn't a biography - which is true - but then what is it? Is it a 448 page essay?

Sullivan's reflections get a bit long and tedious and we get the impression that he's reflecting very much for an audience rather than for himself. When he was a bit more casual his writing is more sincere and interesting.

I feel like a great opportunity (or two) was missed here.  O'Sullivan was a photographer and while Sullivan the author explains, sometimes at length, the work O'Sullivan went to in order to create his photo. It would have been nice to have more than a small handful of photos to accompany the book - a very poorly/tiny printed to boot.

But the book is called Double Exposure, and we can see that the photo on the cover is part of a stereo pair.  Stereo photos (two photos printed side by side which, when viewed through a special viewer, brought the scene into three dimensions) were quite popular in O'Sullivan's time. More explanation of this process would have been nice and more reflection on how the stereo cards brought the viewers closer to O'Sullivan's subjects might have livened up the narrative.

I think one must be truly invested in the subject to really enjoy this book. While not invested, I was hoping to learn a few things, but I couldn't stay interested long enough each time I sat down to read this.

Looking for a good book? If you're interested in historical photography or exploration of the American West, you might enjoy Robert Sullivan's Double Exposure: Resurveying the West with Timothy O'Sullivan, America's Most Mysterious War Photographer. But you need to be really interested before you dig in.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2-1/2 stars

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Double Exposure: Resurveying the West with Timothy O'Sullivan, America's Most Mysterious War Photographer

author: Robert Sullivan

publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

ISBN: 9780374151164

hardcover, 448 pages