Out of Print

Americans
Introduction by John Updike
Essay by Carolyn Kinder Carr

'Picture perfect view of American culture'

This book brings together an exciting collection of paintings and photographs of over 150 men and women who have helped shape American history. From Washington to Warhol, their portraits trace the development of a nation from colony to superpower, and remind us of the individuals who have contributed to its political, cultural and social landscape.

In his illuminating foreword, the internationally renowned novelist John Updike argues that if there is an American face then it is to be found in these vibrant works, selected from the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC. The subjects range from statesman Benjamin Franklin, reformer Harriet Beecher Stowe and President John F. Kennedy, to the figures of Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson who have given the world a dream of celebrity.

With its informative biographies and lavish illustrations, Americans presents a fresh and original approach to portraiture that is indispensable to the historian and the general reader alike.

Author
Carolyn Kinder Carr is the Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC.

190 x 145mm, 288 pages
136 illustrations, 71 paintings and 65 photographs
ISBN 1 85514 500 6
£12.95 (paperback)

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All images and text are subject to copyright protection. 22 November 2008