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Pictorial Pioneer: F. Holland Day

“[Day] is one of the rare photographers who has something to say, and he knows exactly how to say it.” — Robert Demachy*

Boston photographer F. Holland Day advocated for the acceptance of photography as fine art. In the early 1900s, he gained international recognition as a leader in the Pictorialist movement—a style of photography that resisted the notion of photographs as mere records of reality. From intimate portraits of friends to stylized photographs of models in costume, Day’s work demonstrated his ability to create and capture scenes with as much detail and emotion as an artist working with paint. 

The current exhibition at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Making a Presence: F. Holland Day in Artistic Photography, explores Day’s dynamic persona through a variety of pictures, including photographs by Day and portraits of the artist taken by his contemporaries. The photographs reveal Day’s diverse interests, independent spirit, and elaborate imagination.

Marquand Books produced the exhibition catalogue for Making a Presence: F. Holland Day in Artistic Photography. The 132-page book, designed by Zach Hooker, presents more than ninety color illustrations and includes essays by Trevor Fairbrother, the curator of the exhibition.

To learn more about Making a Presence: F. Holland Day in Artistic Photography, visit the Addison Gallery of American Art. To pre-order a copy of the exhibition catalogue, visit Yale University Press.

 

 

* Trevor Fairbrother, Making a Presence: F. Holland Day in Artistic Photography. (Andover: Addison Gallery of American Art, 2012), 15.

 

photography by Jeremy Linden