Bringing Pictures Back: Illustration for Nineteenth-Century American Literature

It has long been assumed that early America lacked a vibrant visual culture, but the printed record indicates another reality, one that has often been ignored by historians of the book and others. In this presentation, Georgia Barnhill will share some of her research about the production and reception of illustrations for poetry and fiction. In particular Barnhill will explain the challenging issues that faced nineteenth-century publishers and some of those facing researchers today. AAS institutional support and digital projects have facilitated Barnhill’s research, and she will reflect on the needs and opportunities made available to twenty-first-century students and scholars of the early American visual record.