Synopses & Reviews
In the 1920s, drawn by spectacular vistas and colorful fall foliage, photojournalist Frank Hohenberger (1876-1962) traveled to the hills of Brown County. Once there, he found more to photograph than just a picturesque landscape and he set out to record the lives of the people who lived among the hills. If You Don't Outdie Me is a brilliantly revealing volume about Hohenberger's encounter with the people of Brown County. Rather than a society of amusing and peaceful rustics, Hohenberger discovered that there were "tragedies in the valleys" and rancorous complexities that belied sentimental notions about small town life. Reproduced here are Hohenberger's incomparable photographs, not only the carefully crafted "art prints," but also the casual snapshots that show him to have been one of the pioneers of ethnographic photography. The book includes Hohenberger's previously unpublished diary notes, which record the humor, gossip, legends, oral history, figures of speech, and proverbs of the Brown County folk, as well as his astute and unguarded observations.
About the Author
Dillon Bustin, a graduate of Indiana University's Folklore Institute,
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Prologue on the Liars' Bench
2. Frank Hohenberger
3. Chris and Felix Brummett
4. Allie Feguson
5. Aunt Molly Lucas
6. Harry Kelp
7. Sam Parks
8. Oliver Neal
9. Alex and Mandy Mullis
10. Valentine Penrose
11. Ellen Petro and Grandma Graham
12. The Bohalls
13. Doc and Diner Beisel
14. Ed Voland
15. Grandma Barnes and Wash Barns
16. Epilogue
Notes to Prologue
Checklist of Photographs
Key to Hohenberger's Diary Entries