Initially commissioned to record the progress of Pittsburgh's
Renaissance I, these unforgettable black-and-white photographs of
Roy Stryker's Pittsburgh Photographic Library (PPL) capture the
city in a state of flux. They reveal a union of opposites--the
suited wonderment of the downtown businessman with the easy grace
and competence of a shirtless construction worker balanced high
over his head; the anonymity and isolation of planned housing with
the belief in expansion and renewal; the energy and excitement of a
city on the move with the traditions of the established elite; the
juxtaposition between the growing optimism about the ability of
technology to improve our lives; and the traditional steel and
other heavy smokestack industries that still dominated the region.
The Renaissance was seen as a way for Pittsburgh to keep abreast of
modern urban life and to preserve its economic position, but the
rapid development of a white suburban middle class was sapping the
very essence of the personalized downtown neighborhoods. These
photographers have captured the convergence of destruction and
rejuvenation that is the essence of an urban renaissance--all the
anxiety and hope of the decade is reflected in these poignant
photographs.
Constance Schulz's fascinating essay on the story of the PPL, in
order to present a full picture of the political and civic goals,
achievements, and failings of the project, provides a thorough
discussion of the background of the Pittsburgh Photographic
Library, putting into perspective the Allegheny Conference's
purpose for initiating the PPL, Roy Stryker's own vision and work,
as well as those of the photographers who worked for Stryker on the
project, and the politics that undermined the full implementation
of it. Clark M. Thomas's accompanying narrative offers an eclectic
range of facts and fascinating bits of the city's history and
neighborhood lore, as well as noting important political and
economic episodes. It also provides a glimpse into the often
underrepresented lives of minorities and women in the region's
development. Anyone moved by the incredible social upheaval and
expansion that occurred in cities across the nation in the 1950s
following years of depression and war will want to have this
collection.
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