Exhibition catalog. Photography Rediscovered: American Photographs, 1900-1930.

Whitney Museum of American Art, 1979. Essay by David Travis. Wraps, as issued, near fine with slight wear to extremities.  Includes biographies of the photographers by Anne Kennedy.  191 pages.  Exhibition catalog for show that opened at the Whitney and traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago.  Work by well-known photographers, a few classics but mostly unfamiliar images by these 34 artists:  Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, E.J. Bellocq, Margaret Bourke-White, Anton Bruehl, Francis Bruguiėre, John G. Bullock, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Imogen Cunningham, Edward S.Curtis, F. Holland Day, Walker Evans, Arnold Genthe, Laura Gilpin, Johan Hagemeyer, Lewis Hine, Frances Benjamin Johnston, Gertrude Käsebier, Margrethe Mather, Paul Outerbridge, William H. Rau, Man Ray, Morton Schamberg, Charles Wheeler, Edward Steichen, Ralph Steiner, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand,  Karl Struss, Doris Ulmann, Adam Clark Vroman, Brett Weston, Edward Weston, and Clarence White. Includes Bibliography and Checklist of the exhibition. Summary:

Photography Rediscovered: American Photographs, 1900-1930 is a richly illustrated exhibition catalogue and survey that presents key developments in American photography during the first three decades of the 20th century. Originally published in 1979 by the Whitney Museum of American Art to accompany a major traveling exhibition curated by David Travis, the book brings together important works by many influential photographers whose work shaped the medium and helped define American visual culture in a formative period.

📸 Overview

• Historical Scope: The book covers the years 1900 to 1930, a period of rapid change in photographic practice when photography transformed from a primarily documentary tool into a recognized art form.
• Artist Selection: It includes work by celebrated photographers such as Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Imogen Cunningham, Paul Strand, Charles Sheeler, Doris Ulmann, Clarence White, and others — spanning different approaches from pictorialism and straight photography to modernist experimentation.
• Content Structure: In addition to the photographs themselves, the book contains an introductory essay by David Travis that contextualizes the images historically and artistically, photographer biographies, and an illustrated checklist of the exhibition’s selections. 
• Purpose & Influence: Serving both as an exhibition record and a historical overview, the book highlights how American photographers from this era explored texture, composition, social themes, and the expressive possibilities of the medium. It reflects the growing appreciation in the late-20th century for early modern American photography and its role in shaping broader art and cultural histories.

Overall, Photography Rediscovered not only documents a landmark exhibition but also provides readers with a curated look at pivotal photographic works and movements that contributed to the recognition of photography as an art form in 20th-century America.