Scrapbooks, An American History

In Scrapbooks, Jessica Helfand compiled a gorgeous visual history of American scrapbooks and their evolution over two hundred years. Jessica, a graphic designer and scrapbook collector, examines the evolution of scrapbooks from the nineteenth century to the present, concentrating particularly on the first half of the twentieth century. She includes color photographs from more than 200 scrapbooks; some made by private individuals and others by the famous, including: Zelda Fitzgerald, Lillian Hellman, Anne Sexton, Hilda Doolittle and Carl Van Vechten. Scrapbooks, while generally made by amateurs, represent a striking and authoritative form of visual autobiography. Jessica finds when viewed collectively they offer a unique perspective on the changing pulses of American cultural life.

Scrapbooks: An American History 242 pages, 425 photographs printed in full color.