Aperture Curates 25 Photobooks Defining America
Aperture has published a curated list of 25 photobooks that collectively define America through the lens of photography. The selection spans 175 years, from Robert Frank's seminal "The Americans" (1950s) to contemporary works like Anastasia Samoylova's "Atlantic Coast" (2024). Key titles include Dawoud Bey's "Elegy" exploring African American history, LaToya Ruby Frazier's "The Notion of Family" on industrial decline, and Wendy Red Star's "Delegation" reimagining Indigenous narratives. The list also features Ernest Cole's "The True America," first publication of his US images from the late 1960s-70s, and Kimowan Metchewais's "A Kind of Prayer," a posthumous survey of the Cree artist whose work appears in the 2026 Whitney Biennial. Other highlights include Gregory Crewdson's "Alone Street," Joel Meyerowitz's "Cape Light," and Stephen Shore's "Uncommon Places." The compilation underscores photography's role in shaping American identity, covering themes of race, class, gender, and landscape.
Key facts
- Aperture published a list of 25 photobooks defining America.
- The selection spans 175 years of photography.
- Robert Frank's 'The Americans' is included.
- Dawoud Bey's 'Elegy' explores African American history.
- LaToya Ruby Frazier's 'The Notion of Family' documents Braddock, Pennsylvania.
- Ernest Cole's 'The True America' is the first publication of his US images.
- Kimowan Metchewais's 'A Kind of Prayer' is featured; his work is in the 2026 Whitney Biennial.
- The list includes works by Gregory Crewdson, Joel Meyerowitz, and Stephen Shore.
Entities
Artists
- Walker Evans
- Baldwin Lee
- Robert Frank
- Sally Mann
- Carrie Mae Weems
- Alec Soth
- An-My Lê
- Alessandra Sanguinetti
- Louis Carlos Bernal
- Dawoud Bey
- Ernest Cole
- Kelli Connell
- Charis Wilson
- Edward Weston
- Betsy Odom
- Gregory Crewdson
- LaToya Ruby Frazier
- Ruby Frazier
- Lee Friedlander
- Hua Hsu
- Justine Kurland
- Danny Lyon
- Austin Butler
- Jodie Comer
- Tom Hardy
- Kimowan Metchewais
- Wendy Red Star
- Joel Meyerowitz
- Richard Misrach
- Philip Montgomery
- Donald Trump
- Hillary Clinton
- Barack Obama
- Joe Biden
- Dorothea Lange
- John Pfahl
- Ansel Adams
- David Benjamin Sherry
- Kristine Potter
- Gordon Parks
- Maurice Berger
- Marvin Heiferman
- Sophie Rivera
- Stephen Shore
- Anastasia Samoylova
- Berenice Abbott
- Ed Templeton
- Brian Anderson
- Elissa Steamer
- Ocean Vuong
Institutions
- Aperture
- Howard Greenberg Gallery
- Hunters Point Press
- Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona
- Louis Carlos Bernal Archive
- Ernest Cole Family Trust
- Edwynn Houk Gallery
- The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation
- The Gordon Parks Foundation
- Estate of Martin Hurwitz
- El Museo del Barrio
- Whitney Biennial
- The New York Times
Locations
- United States
- Southern United States
- Defuniak Springs, Florida
- Black River Falls, Wisconsin
- Douglas, Arizona
- Richmond Slave Trail, Virginia
- Louisiana
- Ohio
- New York City
- Braddock, Pennsylvania
- Waddy, Kentucky
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- Provincetown, Massachusetts
- Port of Oakland, California
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- George Floyd Square
- Springdale, Utah
- Yosemite Valley, California
- Mobile, Alabama
- Upper Manhattan, New York
- Idaho Falls, Idaho
- Waycross, Georgia
- Route 1
- Chicago
- Czech Republic
- Cold Lake First Nations, Alberta, Canada
- New England
- Western United States
- Southwest United States