The Alchemy of Us

Total “didja know?” sort of book. Selling time, second sleep, trains and timezones and that Frederick Douglass was the most photographed man of his time.

Photography proved a hell of a chapter. I learn how Kodak blithely ignoring complaints from black mothers in the 1950s and 60s. They'd argue that Kodak colour film left their children's faces underexposed with only the eyes and teeth visible against an otherwise featureless dark shape. This would contribute to damaging stereotypes that were perpetuated for years. The thing was that Kodak's film was calibrated to perfect the portrayal of white skin. It wasn't until furniture makers and chocolatiers complained in the 70s that the formulations were recalibrated to better show off rich walnut grains and melting dark chocolate - not to mention correct their initial bias.

And the Polaroid Revolutionary Workers Movement. Caroline Hunter and her husband both worked at Polaroid when they discovered the company's involvement with South Africa's apartheid system. Polaroid's ID-2 camera facilitated the system of passbooks that controlled the movement of black South Africans. The creation of the PRWM and her continued protests would cost Caroline her job but her efforts would eventually lead to the complete withdrawal of Polaroid from South Africa.

Not all the chapters are equally strong but it was fascinating how Ramirez chose to come at particular stories from Edison to Muybridge and broaden their scope.