Photography Books
Marjorie Content
Last week I had a dentist’s appointment up north in Bonner’s Ferry. I drive up there because the dentist is my father’s and I used him once when I was on holiday here and had a broken tooth.
We drove up early to spend time at Bonner’s Books a great little bookshop I probably rave too much about but it is a great place to visit if you find yourself in the area.
I did want to pick up a specific book in addition to random browsing that is how I approach most visits. I got a copy of Eventide by Kent Haruf which is the sequel to Plainsong I enjoyed so much.
Doug Morse
The photography section is small but I found this slim little volume Marjorie Content Photographs by Jill Quasha. Published in 1994.
Marjorie was a little known photographer who hung out with the likes of Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keefe among others. I picked up the book because I am interested in that era especially the Sante Fe-Taos scene in the 30s, 40s, and 50’s that became an explosion of creative talent still relevant today.
I also have a family connection to that time in my great great uncle Frank Applegate who was a minor artist in the pantheon of that time. I will write more about this fascinating artist at a later time.
The book has a nice synopsis of her life and the time. She was the daughter of a wealthy stock broker to JP Morgan and the likes. Today we might call her a ‘trustifarian’ she had a great deal of the comforts that derive from inherited wealth.
Stil it is interesting to read of the lives of these people and how their lives intersected. She was married many times and it seems most were not very nice men. Yet she gave herself over to each of them for a time. The book ends with a series of small prints. She did her own darkroom work and certainly developed a style. It is outside of my personal style but that does not prevent me from appreciating it none-the-less.
I have added a few below as examples. Photos are taken from the book with my phone. Crude but they get the point across. The book is printed in Italy so of some good quality. The volume is small which suits her small photographs which appear to be small enlargements of contact prints from 6x9 and 4x5 format negatives.
