Magnificent Intentions

BOSTON GLOBE“Abraham Lincoln is so familiar to Americans that it takes a special book to let us see him in a new way. Such a book is Magnificent Intentions. […] These photographs convey a keen sense that we should never take any of it for granted — neither the buildings nor democracy itself. Through his lens, we see it all coming together, pillar by pillar, frieze by frieze; an immense monument to ourselves. I found that quite moving, at a time when it is all too easy to throw stones.”WASHINGTON POST“Thanks to a remarkable new book by Adrienne Lundgren, the true dimensions of Wood’s contribution to American history can be fully appreciated. Magnificent Intentions is a richly illustrated study of the first federal photographer, a man who documented the building of the Capitol and other major constructions during the tumultuous Civil War era. […It] contains more than 150 images — including photos of the new Capitol building that look both contemporary and antique, like a ghost of someone you know well.”THE CIVIL WAR MONITOR“Many of these photographs are unknown to either scholarly or public audiences, and their inclusion in Lundgren’s book will be well received by enthusiasts of the Civil War, American architecture, and the history of American photography. […] Adrienne Lundgren’s special expertise and perspective as senior photograph conservator at the Library of Congress and the focus of the book on John Wood’s unique and pioneering approach in the early decades of photography make this an exceptional work that tells a much-needed story about the Civil War era and the photographers who captured it visually. Lundgren’s celebration of Wood’s achievements and his technical skill in photography, as well as her chronicling of the rapid expansion of Washington, D.C., in the Civil War era, provides a remarkably fresh look at American visual culture during one of the most extraordinary and formative periods in United States history.”

Adrienne Lundgren is a senior photograph conservator in the Library of Congress Conservation Division. She earned her Master of Science in Art Conservation from the University of Delaware and has published on technical art historical subjects relating to photography. Her publications include essays or contributions to Clarence H. White and His World, Platinum and Palladium Photographs, and Coatings on Photographs.

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