This is a tiny and unassuming book, roughly 5 ¾ by 8 inches, with just under 100 pages. I first found a copy in my local public library, and I was immediately captured by both the photographs and the way they are presented in this beautiful gem of a book.
George Tice is a New Jersey-born photographer, well known for his silver gelatin and platinum prints. He’s had a long career and has received numerous honors and awards. This book provides a retrospective of some of his more notable works, encompassing several distinct bodies of subject matter. My personal favorites include “Country Road – Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1961” (pg. 16); “Shaker Interior – Sabbathday Lake, Maine, 1971” (pg. 43); “Petit’s Mobil Station – Cherry Hill, New Jersey, 1974” (pg. 55); and “Leo Cooper – Hannibal, Missouri, 1984” (pg. 83). I particularly love “Petit’s Mobil Station”, as it’s a night shot of a gas station with lights on, darkness all around, and looming over the station, a barely seen water tower. This is not the high contrast print style of Ansel Adams. It’s a subtle print, showing Tice’s masterful capabilities as a printer.
The book pages are printed on a matte finish paper (Monadnock Dulcet) that is neutral white (not stark white), and the photos offer subtle, soft contrast, rather than the pure white with deep blacks one associates with, say, a print by Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, our any of the Group f/64. The feeling, to me, is closer to some of the platinum prints I’ve seen, and the end results are, to my eyes, absolutely stunning!
I find this book inspirational, and the clean, simple design is one that I’d love to emulate should I ever prepare my own portfolio of monochrome photographs. It’s a beautiful introduction to George Tice for those not familiar with his work, and is a treasured part of my personal library.