Two and One Quarter

by William Eggleston (Photographer)

A tribute to Eggleston’s brief experimentation with pocket-sized photographs Born and raised in Mississippi and Tennessee, photographer William Eggleston began taking pictures in the early 1960s after reading Henri Cartier-Bresson’s The Decisive Moment . After switching from black-and-white film to color film in 1966, he occasionally used a two and one quarter inch format for photographs. This collection of square snapshots from 1966 to 1971 invokes the intimate quality of Eggleston’s work, while maintaining the vibrance and skill that led Museum of Modern Art curator John Szarkowski to call him “the first color photographer.” This attractive clothbound, square-shaped hardcover volume includes 45 four-color plates with text by Los-Angeles based novelist and screenwriter Bruce Wagner. Now in its eighth edition, 2 ¼ adds more classic Eggleston images to the canon of color photography.
William Eggleston (born 1939) encountered photography and abstract expressionism while studying at Vanderbilt and the University of Mississippi. Inspired by the work of Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eggleston began working with color film in the 1960s and is credited with popularizing its use among artistic photographers. His work can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Genres: Photography, Art

100 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 1999

About the author

Born in Memphis and raised in Sumner, Mississippi, William Eggleston was, even in youth, more interested in art and observing the world around him than in the more popular southern boyhood pursuits of hunting and sports. While he dabbled in obtaining an education at a succession of colleges including Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, he became interested in the work of Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, and began taking black and white photographs with the Leica camera a friend had given him. He began experimenting with color photography in 1965. Although processes for color photography had existed in various forms since the turn of the century, at that time it still was not considered a medium for fine art, and was mostly relegated to the world of advertising.

Eggleston was the first photographer to have a solo show of color prints at the MoMA in 1976. Accompanied by the release of the book William Eggleston's Guide, it was a watershed moment in the history of photography.

Reviews

[dv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poco da dire su Eggleston, se non che è un maestro in qualsiasi formato. Certo, peccato non esistano altre raccolte in 6x6 a parte questa. Motivo in più per godersi al massimo ogni singola immagine.

[Orest Mercator · Rating 3 out of 5]

His square composition is interesting, but it didn’t inspire me much. I also thought that the prints in this book were overenlarged and as a result have an ugliness (especially the underexposed ones) that I can’t imagine WE wanted.

[Davy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite Eggleston collection. There's something about the feel of his photographs that suits the square format of Two and One Quarter, and the prodigious dimensions of the book give you plenty to look at. Fantastic & familiar, mysterious & obvious -- like all of his best work. Recommended.

[Haley Monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Eggleston is definitely one of my favorite photographers. His color control is amazing and this book is a great resource if you’re seeking inspiration for street captured photography.