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American History in 15 Photographs

1865 to the 21st century

  • Textbook
American History in 15 Photographs cover

American History in 15 Photographs

1865 to the 21st century

  • Textbook
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Pre-order. Available 05 Feb 2026
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Description

Photographs are more than just an illustration of a moment in time, and offer a powerful way to interpret and understand the past in a way no other historical source can. American History in 15 Photographs introduces this power through the medium of 15 images representing key themes or eras in American History. Taking the reader from Reconstruction and Westward Expansion, to the Roaring Twenties and the World Wars, right up to Modern American Culture, it offers a refreshing, visual, introduction to the history of the United States through photographs.

Teaching students how to understand, contextualise and interpret historic photography, and equipping them with skills to critically assess and analyse them, American History in 15 Photographs showcases both iconic and lesser-known images to tell a story about the American experience. Centring diverse histories, including discussions of race, class, gender, disability studies, environmental history, activism and social justice, it uses photographs not just as an illustration of a moment in time, but as a window to explore its greater meaning.

This volume reorients photography as a major source for understanding the past, expanding not only the stories that we tell, but the way in which we interpret them.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Photography in the Study of History, Rebecca S. Wingo and Lauren Tilton

1. Reconstruction: Black Political Activism in the Colored Conventions, Jim Casey
2. Westward Expansion: Reconsidering the Oklahoma Land Rush, Laura Wexler
3. Assimilation Era: Native American Women & the Politics of Portraiture, Cathleen Cahill
4. Gilded Age: New Money, New Photographs, Shannon Perich
5. Great Migration: Black Homesteaders, Jacob Friefeld
6. Roaring Twenties: Internationalism and the Pan-Pacific Conference, Courtney Sato
7. Great Depression: Dorothea Lange's Portraits of Agricultural Workers, Linda Gordon
8. WWII (Early Cold War): The Bracero Program, Mireya Loza
9. WWII (Atomic Age): Enola Gay and the Culture Wars, Rebecca Wingo
10. Cold War: IBM, Identity, and the Space Race, Nabeel Siddiqui & Thomas Haigh
11. Civil Rights: Section 504 Disability Rights Protest, Scot Danforth
12. Vietnam War Era at Home: Picturing Urban Renewal, David Hochfelder, Stacy Sewell, and Ann Pfau
13. Legacy of the War on Poverty: Harlan County and the Fight for Economic Equality, Grace Hale
14. Environmental Justice: Documerica and the rise of the Environmental Movement, Lauren Tilton
15. Modern American Culture: The Selfie, Ace Lehner

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 05 Feb 2026
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 336
ISBN 9781350463387
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions 234 x 156 mm
Series History in 15
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Anthology Editor

Rebecca S. Wingo

Rebecca S. Wingo is Director of Public History and…

Anthology Editor

Lauren Tilton

Lauren Tilton is Associate Professor of Digital Hu…

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