Nonfiction
A selection of articles and books Carolyn has written
on art historical topics.
Hippolyte Bayard and the Invention of Photography
Hippolyte Bayard (1801-1887) had an undeniable role in the birth of photography and its subsequent evolution into a form of art. He was a pioneer in artistic style, innovator in terms of practice, and teacher of the next generation of photographers. Alongside an exploration of Bayard's decades-long career and lasting impact, this volume presents-for the first time in print-some of the earliest photographs in existence.
Edited by Karen Hellman and Carolyn Peter
Published April 2024, Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Buy at the Getty! or your bookshop of preference.
"The Many Lives of the Getty's Bayard Album"
This article explores the mysteries of the Getty's Bayard album, one of the first photographic albums ever created. Compiled in the 1840s by Hippolyte Bayard, it contains 167 early photographs on paper by Bayard and his British comrades. Over its 180+ years of life it has changed hands multiple times and has taken on new meanings for each new owner.
Getty Research Journal, no. 15 (February 2022), 67-86.
Speaking in Tongues: Wallace Berman and Robert Heinecken: 1961-1976
The essay, "Wordsmithing: Mixing the Verbal with the Visual in the Art of Wallace Berman and Robert Heinecken,” compares and contrasts how the two artists integrated text into their photographic and collage work.
In Speaking in Tongues: The Art of Wallace Berman and Robert Heinecken. Claudia Bohn-Spector and Sam Mellon, eds. Pasadena, California: Armory Center for Arts, 2011,
Following the Prescribed Path
This exhibition brochure examines the works of seven artists who embarked on journeys outside their studios following set routes that were determined before they ever stepped out the door.
The exhibition took place at the Laband Art Gallery, Loyola Marymount University, September 13-November 23, 2014.
Gallery 32 & Its Circle
This article tells the story of a little-known gallery in downtown Los Angeles that existed from 1968-70. Founded by artist Suzanne Jackson, it was one of the few venues where Black artists could show their work.
“Gallery 32 and Los Angeles’s African American Arts Community,” co-written with Damon Willick, Nka Journal of Contemporary African Art, Issue 30 (Spring 2012) pp. 16-26.
A Letter from Japan: The Photographs of John Swope
This book presents the photographs of John Swope who traveled to Japan near the end of World War II as part of Edward Steichen's team of Navy photographers. Swope brought his Hollywood style and his sensitivity to the human cost of war on both sides. He was assigned to photograph allied prisoners of war. During his downtime, he also photographed Japanese citizens and wrote a long letter to his wife detailing his experiences.
A Letter From Japan: The Photographs of John Swope. Los Angeles: UCLA Hammer Museum, March 2006.
The Eunice and Hal David Collection of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Works on Paper
This exhibition catalogue celebrates the drawing collection of the Davids. Each drawing is accompanied by a well-researched entry exploring the artist, the techniques, and the subject.
Co-author of The Eunice and Hal David Collection of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Works on Paper. Los Angeles: UCLA Hammer Museum, 2003.
Frank Lloyd Wright and the Architecture of Japanese Prints
This article looks at Frank Lloyd Wright's obsession with Japanese prints and the ways in which it influences his exhibition and architectural designs.
“Frank Lloyd Wright and the Architecture of Japanese Prints,”
Save Wright, Vol. 6, Issue 4, Spring 2015, pp. 22-25.
Reading California: Art, Image, and Identity, 1900-2000
The essay "California Welcomes the World: The International Expositions, 1893-1939 and the Selling of a State” discusses how California chose to present itself through the design of its worlds fairs and the exhibits of art, other cultures, and technological innovations.
In Reading California: Art, Image, and Identity, 1900-2000. Stephanie Barron, Sheri Bernstein, and Ilene S. Fort, eds.,Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.