Paul Strand at work

In the late 1940s, Paul Strand spoke of creating "a series of photographs that focused on the history, architecture, environs and people of a small town (which) would reveal 'the common denominator of all humanity' and would be a bridge toward a deeper understanding between countries." This book presents a rigorously edited selection of these photographs, made in France, Italy and New England between the years 1943 and 1953. Whether depicting an old French fisherman, a stormy sea or a tilting New England gravestone, Strand identified and explored certain central themes that included the primal connection between humans and the natural world; the beauty of simple objects and structures; and the inherent dignity of every individual regardless of wealth or social status. The exquisitely reproduced photographs gathered here encourage the viewer to look closely, and observe how details and formal relations emerge.