Author: Minor White ( Edited by Todd Cronan and Peter C. Bunnell)
Title: Memorable fancies
Published by: Princeton University Art Museum , 2024
The book brings together selections from Minor White’s personal journals, which he began keeping in the 1930s and which Todd Cronan and Peter C. Bunnell later edited. As a result, it reads as part diary, part photography theory manual, and part philosophical notebook, offering an unusually intimate insight into the thoughts and creative processes of one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.
His photography is not exactly my cup of tea. Nevertheless, I’m always interested in seeing photography through a different pair of eyes. The journals explore White’s struggles with identity, spirituality, sexuality, and artistic purpose, revealing how he approached photography as a spiritual and psychological practice rather than simply a technical craft.
The book isn’t always an easy read, as it follows neither a conventional diary format nor a straightforward biographical narrative. Instead, it jumps between ideas, personal reflections, and philosophical observations.
I like to think of it less as a memoir and more as a creative mind’s laboratory notebook: messy, revealing, and historically important.
So, should you read it?
In my opinion, you should go for it if you are a student of photography. You should also consider it if you have an interest in the creative process, spirituality, and psychology.
Memorable Fancies is not an easy or conventional read, but it’s a major scholarly contribution. For historians of photography, artists, or readers interested in art theory and creative psychology.