Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena will be hosting author Stephen White, who is also a gallery owner, collector, curator and historian of photography, as he presents his book of fine art photography, “A Country Called California: Photographs 1850–1960,” along with Jonathan Spaulding and Suzanne Lummis, on Tuesday, March 1, at 7 p.m.
“A Country Called California” features the visual history of California and traces the development of the Golden State from the 19th century on, through to its emergence as the fifth largest economy in the world – all as seen through the eyes of photographers whose names are synonymous with fine art photography: Ansel Adams, Carleton Watkins, Dorothea Lange, Eadweard Muybridge, Will Connell, Edward Weston, Max Yavno, Grant Mudford, A.C. Vroman, Mabel Watson, and many more.
The author, a longtime photography gallerist and collector, has curated the book to perfection, capturing the California that is its own country, the light that has captivated every photographer’s eye.
White opened a gallery in Los Angeles in 1975. He has been collecting photographs related to California’s growth and development over the past 25 years and has more than 1,000 images that tell the visual story of California. He has published several catalogs to accompany major museum traveling exhibitions he previously curated or co-curated and has written extensively on every aspect of photography history and contemporary photography.
Jonathan Spaulding is an independent curator and author based in Southern California. He formerly served as chief curator of the Autry Museum of the American West and Director of the Seaver Center for Western History Research in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County . He is the author of “Ansel Adams and the American Landscape: A Biography,” among other works.
Suzanne Lummis is a poet who edited the anthology “Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond,” which the Los Angeles Times named one of the 10 best books of 2015. Her poems have appeared in Ploughshares, Spillway, Hotel Amerika, Plume, New Ohio Review, The American Journal of Poetry, and The New Yorker. Her most recent collection, “Open 24 Hours,” was published by Lynx House Press. Lummis was a 2018-2019 COLA (City of Los Angeles) fellow.
The ticketed event on Tuesday will take place in the Vroman’s Bookstore Event space on the second level at 695 E. Colorado Blvd. Tickets include one entry and one copy of “A Country Called California,” which will be handed out at check-in. Masks are required at all times. All attendees must be ready to show proof of full vaccination at check in upon request.
To purchase tickets, visit www.vromansbookstore.com/
For more information, contact Vroman’s Bookstore at email@vromansbookstore.com, or call (626) 449-5320.
