Mechanical Brides of the Uncanny; Thirteen cartes de visite

Portland,Oregon: Nazraeli Press, 2009. First edition, limited. Edward Bateman. [16 pp.] Duodecimo [19 cm]; maroon boards. Fine. A book of twelve reproductions and one original pigment print by digital wizard Edward Bateman. Nazaraeli Press One Picture Book #58. The thirteenth plate is laid in at the rear of the book and is signed by the artist on the reverse. No. 407 in an edition limited to 500. This edition of Mechanical Brides of the Uncanny was sold out prior to publication. From the introduction:"Automatons became the next wonder of the age, and the camera turned its ever hungry gaze on them as well. This was an unprecedented development. Mankind has always looked at objects. For the first time in human history, objects were looking back. Robots (although the name would not be coined for 80 years) made excellent photographic subjects because of their ability to remain motionless for extended periods of time. And indeed, they were widely documented, although few examples remain today. Automatons became more than just sources of labor-they became companions and, following legislation passed during the upheaval of the Civil War, autonomous citizens.