Smith, Michael A. Princeton, New Jersey: A Collection of Photographs by Michael A. Smith, April 27-July 26, 1986. Signed.

United Jersey Bank, 1986. Essay by Richard Trenner. Stapled wraps, 12 pages, including covers, 5 illustrations, check list of 57 works in exhibition. SIGNED. Like new. A rare Smith title, especially signed.  Summary:

Princeton, New Jersey: A Collection of Photographs is a slim, rare exhibition catalogue by celebrated American landscape photographer Michael A. Smith. Published to accompany a spring/summer exhibition that ran from April 27 to July 26, 1986, the publication documents a major photographic commission Smith received from the Princeton Gallery of Fine Art and Art Ventures, featuring an introductory essay by writer Richard Trenner and a comprehensive checklist of the 57 works featured in the original exhibition.

Key Elements of the Collection

• The Large-Format Aesthetic: True to Smith's signature style, the photographs of the town and university were captured using large-format view cameras (including $8\times 10$ and $8\times 20$-inch formats). Rather than magnifying his work via an enlarger, Smith created contact prints—exposing the photographic paper in direct contact with the negative—resulting in images with staggering clarity, luminous tonal range, and rich detail.

• Architectural and Civic Portraiture: The collection moves beyond a simple travelogue to explore the historic architecture, shifting light, and structural landscape of Princeton. It documents local landmarks, such as The Old Princeton Bank and Trust, capturing them with a formal precision that honors the town's academic and historical dignity.

• A Snapshot of Place and Time: Completed between 1984 and 1985, the collection captures Princeton during a pivotal mid-1980s era, balancing its historic, colonial character with its evolution into a modern center for corporate research and high education.

Summary

Princeton, New Jersey is a meticulous, black-and-white visual archive of an iconic American town. It serves as an important entry in Michael A. Smith’s career-long dedication to pure, unmanipulated contact photography, transforming regional civic documentation into high photographic art.