Politics and disaster are juxtaposed in the pairing of an anti-axis propaganda photo collage of “Benito Mussolini, the Strong Man of Italy, in a character study of challenge and defiance” (as described in a caption by International News Photos) and a collage depicting a city being decimated by an earthquake. In the photo collage fantasy of Mussolini, his large figure looms over a battle scene of long-range guns and steaming cruisers as black smoke fills the air while black paint is brushed over the sky to intensify the ominous atmosphere of the photograph. The latter photo collage also uses paint to imagine a catastrophic scene, this time in Los Angeles, of burning buildings collapsing under siege of an earthquake.

Beginning in the 1920s, as photography replaced illustration in advertising, montage work flourished. On view are several imaginative and dramatic photo montages that combine the use of text, which quickly became the modern way to entice consumers into purchasing a variety of products ranging from fine linens to shoes. A photograph that exemplifies this powerful method of advertising is a piece that markets the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company as ‘the beer that made Milwaukee Famous.’ In another work we see a handwritten letter praising the comfort of hiking shoes photographed alongside a seemingly candid snapshot of a young couple enjoying a romantic view of the mountains while on horseback. Photographers took cues from these advertisements to advance their own businesses, including Hungarian-American photographer Emery P. Revesz-Biro (1895-1975). Two such examples of his work are on display, with one showing a pair of hands counting the numerous reasons a company should hire him, including his skills in carefulness, reliability and speed.

Welsh photographer Angus McBean (1904-1990) used his skills in photo manipulation to make a surreal composite portrait in 1948 of French film actress Marika Rivera as she appears to gracefully float above the water with a translucent white water lily and flowers framing her face. French photographer Pierre Adam (Active Paris, 1930s) used the same technique of composite printing combined with pen drawings to create a starry night against a black background while a ceramic head symbolic of Taurus, one of the oldest documented constellations, hovers through the dazzlingly constructed sky.   

Trick Photography and Visual Effects is a notable exhibition that presents the artistic work of over twenty artists who played an important role in advancing the intricate and fascinating history of photographic manipulation. Collectively this exhibition features the work of Pierre Adam, Geo E. Anderson, David Attie, Will Connell, Gordon Coster, Harry Richardson Cremer, Pedro E. Guerrero, John Hatlem, All Star Picture Library, George Platt Lynes, Wendell MacRae, Marceau, Angus McBean, Nino Migliori, Nickolas Muray, Bertram Park, Mario Perotti, International News Photos, L. J. Lipp Publishing, Emery P. Revesz-Biro, Rolf Tietgens, Underwood & Underwood, and Weegee. Trick Photography and Visual Effects is on view at Keith de Lellis Gallery from January 19 through March 18, 2023.