"When the revolutionary technology of photography erupted in American culture in 1839, it swiftly became, in the day's parlance, a 'mania.' In this ... illustrated book, Rachel McBride Lindsey places vernacular photography at the center of the study of nineteenth-century American religious culture and lived religion. As an empirical tool, photography captured many of the signal scenes of American life, from the Gold Rush to the bloody battlefields of the Civil War. But photographs did not simply display neutral records of people, places, and things--commonplace photographs became inscribed with spiritual meaning, disclosing, not merely signifying, a power that lay beyond"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.