Children in Photography: 150 Years

Andrew Vaisius is a Winnipeg daycare director.

Children in Photography: 150 Years is a burst of images and a ranging
ping-pong volley of ideas and philosophies by the photographers whose
work is captured within its covers. No matter what your taste, these
photos will move you to emotion and stimulate analysis—just as
children often do in life. My personal favorite here is Irving Penn’s
“The Mountain Children.” Such a depiction of age, class, family,
pride, doubt—in short, their entire lives frozen in one
frame—stopped my heart.

The book results from an exhibition curated by Corkin, which toured
Canada, but easily stands on its own. My hearty recommendation halts
abruptly at the written text: Dault, when he isn’t waxing pretentious,
is downright in error viewing the photos. He has plainly flubbed the
gender identification of one of the children in Andre Kertesz’s
“Gypsy Girl,” and “the whiten flash of ear” in Debbie Fleming
Caffery’s “After the Snake Bite” is obviously a flash of hair.
There are more, but take my advice: read Corkin’s introduction, skip
the text, and enjoy the pictures.