These Were Our Dogs
The latest collection from photographer and dog photo archivist Hall (Prince and Other Dogs, Postcard Dogs, Postcard Cats) compiles more than 250 vintage photographs from her one-of-a-kind collection. Focusing on the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hall's collection illustrates just how little has changed regarding man's relationship with his best friend: accompanying us to work and war, but most importantly serving as valued members of the family-a role perfectly captured in the portrait of a large American family, gathered unsmilingly on the front porch with a terrier perfectly poised in the very center. Though there are plenty of dog photo books with a historical slant (Hall even offers some suggestions), Hall's collection has impressive depth and breadth; among anonymous shots of everyday Europeans and Americans with their pets are images of dogs working on the railroad and in the Yukon, as well as photos from Africa and Japan. Shots of Charles Dickens with his devoted dog Turk and Queen Victoria with her beloved border collie are the exception in this thorough cross-section of canines and their companions, illustrating warmly and repeatedly how humans and dogs have always depended on and supported each other.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.