Thorn, Guillermo. Victorian New Jersey: Photographs by Guillermo Thorn from the Kean University Collection.

By Frank J. Esposito and Donald Lokuta.  Kean University, 2005. Hardcover, SIGNED by both authors. 1st printing of only 500 copies in hardcover with protected dust jacket. Like new. One of the few monographs on a nineteenth century New Jersey photographer. Thorn was based in Plainfield but made outstanding views throughout the region, including the Jersey shore, such as Asbury Park. Most photographs in the book are from the Thorn collection at Kean University, donated by the photographer's granddaughter.  Two copies available, one with a small black dot on top of text block; first buyer gets the one without the dot.  Summary:

Victorian New Jersey: Photographs by Guillermo Thorn from the Kean University Collection is a historical photography book that compiles and analyzes the rare late-19th-century work of pioneering photographer Guillermo Thorn.

Key Elements of the Work

• The Collection: The book highlights a major archive of images. Thorn, a prominent commercial photographer based out of Plainfield, New Jersey, captured the state's transition during the post-Civil War and late Victorian eras.

• The Subject Matter: Thorn's work offers a vivid cross-section of late 1800s New Jersey. The imagery includes:

  • Early Suburbia & Urban Transition: Monumental architecture and bustling downtown streets documenting the economic boom of local communities.

  • Social Life and Leisure: Candid and posed scenes of Victorian recreation, such as residents playing tennis in full-length skirts, gathering for community picnics, and traveling by horse-drawn carriages.

  • Landscape and Industry: Picturesque landscapes, including early tourist spots and the industrial mills running along regional waterways.

• The Medium: The book features Thorn's mastery of early photographic formats, particularly stereographs(stereoview photos that created a 3D effect when viewed through a stereoscope) and "Artistic Photo Views."

Narrative Intent

The book uses Thorn’s photographs to provide a critical historical narrative of New Jersey's modernization. It serves as a vital bridge between the state's rural past and the dawn of modern commercialism, showcasing the exact moment that New Jersey's towns and cities began to assume a shape recognizable to the 21st-century viewer.