Abstract

The intention behind this analysis was to consider two very distinct but interrelated aspects of cultural experience: the first being a study and interpretation of the evolution, presentation and re-presentation of the American search for identity in the twentieth century, and the second being a determination of the role and perception of photography as part of this quest. I began my study with an examination of the 1930s, a period of intensified self-examination inspired by a hopeful and redemptive search for "uplifting" ideals during the trying time of the Depression. It extended into the 1970s, which for many political (e.g. Viet Nam, Watergate, etc.), as well as social and historical reasons (the Bicentennial) were years also marked by extensive national reconsideration. From the onset of the project, this writer was compelled by the same myths and visions that had directed so many of the writers and photographers whose work from the American road served as the core of this study. The research was approached with the presumption that the human spirit was always in search of redemption and affirmation and that the quest for such fulfillment was actually inacted by this select group of photographers on their American odyssey. It was only through this kind of close analysis that one began to see the many different external influences and causes that defined the American photographic road trip. So powerful were these inducements and interventions that the individual participants found themselves sharing a sensibility which directed them, through the four different decades, to follow the same self-generated myth of finding America on the road.

Comments

Print version in library: https://catalog.wustl.edu:443/record=b1857636~S2

Author's Department

Graduate School of Architecture

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Date of Award

5-1-1992

Language

English (en)

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