William Eggleston's Guide

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William Eggleston's Guide marked a pivotal moment in art history as the first one-man show of color photographs at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and its inaugural publication on color photography. The reception was intensely divided, compelling the art world to confront color photography, a medium previously overlooked, and the vernacular nature of the images that transcended typical family snapshots. These photographs showcased a new mastery of color as a crucial aspect of composition. The book, featuring a textured cover with a photograph of a tricycle and gold lettering, includes 48 images selected from 375 taken between 1969 and 1971, presenting a refined yet casual perspective of Eggleston's Memphis surroundings. The collection captures various scenes, such as an anonymous woman in a vibrant dress on a bold outdoor sofa, a coal-fired barbecue framed by a shiny tricycle and a sleek car fender, and a tiny, gray-haired lady in a flowered housecoat standing in a mint-green room. In this edition, The Museum of Modern Art has created new color separations from the original 35 mm slides, producing a facsimile that reflects the photographer's original intentions with fresh vibrancy.