Faces

a narrative history of the portrait in photography

Plot

... The subjects in this book are extraordinarily rich, ranging from 19th century Scottish fiswives, Victorian novelists, and New Orleans prostitutes to Gertrude Stein, Garbo, Auden and San Franciso hippies. The result is a work that is as much about people as about photography, and as readable as a good novel. It is a milestone in the appreciation of photography as an art, a craft, a trade, a tool, a weapon, a magic mirror, and an act of defiance against time and death.