People Kissing: A Century of Photographs

Description

Love is in the air as Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey take on humankind's oldest pastime: kissing. In racy candids, humorous vintage postcards, and snapshots taken on the sly, couples from the Victorian era through the Swinging Sixties smooch, canoodle, neck, and spoon. The collected photographs are sweet, sincere, and saucy, occasionally awkward, and always intriguing: Who took these photos? And what lay in store for these amorous couples after the shutter clicked-true love or just a passing fancy? People Kissing is the perfect gift to share with a sweetheart any day you feel like making a public display of affection.

Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey are collectors, artists, and curators specializing in vernacular photography and offbeat collections. They run Project B, a foundphoto archive and curatorial services company. They live in Houston, Texas, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

"In their latest book, People Kissing, Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey-who describe themselves as "artists who collect and archivists who curate"-continue their exploration of vintage vernacular photography by examining the act of kissing. Acquiring old photographs and postcards from eBay, garage sales and via donations, Levine and Ramey have previously looked at themes such as fishing and knitting. This compilation stretches back to the late 19th century and documents everything from the light-hearted peck on the cheek to the passionate embrace" -- Financial Times "what better way to show someone you love them than giving them this romantic book. Humankind's oldest pastime is portrayed through candid snaps, vintage postcards and pictures sneaked when no one was looking. Snog, smooch, canoodle, peck or smacker - whatever you call kisses, this book has them in droves. And when your sweetheart's finished leafing through it, they might even be inspired to give you one themselves." -- Daily Mail "A new book of found photography captures the history of couples getting up close and personal For the past 25 years, Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey have been collecting amateur photography. Based in Mexico and Texas, the artists have published a number of books together featuring vintage images found at flea markets and on eBay. Their latest is People Kissing: A Century of Photographs, which charts the evolution of the genre from Victorian postcards to automatic photo booths. Before photography, Levine says, kissing was largely a private affair. "Nowadays it's a public act. People are encouraged to perform their affection for the camera."" -- Observer New Review