Monday 21 February 2011

CNW taped the 2011 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction

Watch the 2011 Charles Taylor Prize For Literary Non-Fiction. It is now available on You Tube.

HOW TO SCORE POSITIVE PR: THE NORMA JEAN EFFECT

LOOK A-LIKE, MEDIA CELEBS, TWO NEW ART SHOWS AND CABBIE WHO REMEMBERS HELP KEEP THE MONROE WAVE WASHING OVER TORONTO




Touch of Strange - Marilyn Monroe Brings In The Fans

She has been dead longer than she lived. Most artists who paint her image were born after she died in 1962. Her fame grows, she is a worldwide icon be it as Norma Jean, Marilyn Monroe, or the Blond Bombshell. The young know her better than the Boomers who have first hand memory of her life, her times and her death. Name a building after her, hold an art show celebrating her, or simply write and post a story for a major newspaper, and your media campaign is bound to succeed. Warning: Be prepared to meet people whose 7-Year-Itch has long since graduated into a terminal case of Celeb fueled Poison Ivy.
Last summer I wrote a "how is it built" feature about the Marilyn Monroe condominium in Mississauga for the Toronto Star. To date the feature about the 54-story condo, is the third most viewed story in the history of the Star's website. It was the first time a Condo story has ranked that high. Congrats went around the Star, with only a brief mention of the writer - me - but that is okay because the reason readers were visiting the site wasn't because of who wrote the story but rather the use of Marilyn's name in the title, the meta tags and the picture of a condo shaped like a concrete Blond Bombshell! (probably why you are here isn't it?)
Read the story at: http://stephenweirarticles.blogspot.com/2010/09/marilyn-monre.html
Fast forward. This month the McMichael Canadian Art Collection opened two exhibitions featuring art based on Marilyn Monroe. One exhibition, curated in Germany includes photographs, sculptures and paintings by some of the best contemporary artists of the day including Antonio de Felipe, Andy Warhol,photographer Milton H. Greene and Bernard of Hollywood. The second exhibition, curated by Windsor University graduate Chris Finn looks at Marilyn in Canada - pictures and paintings -- surrounding two film shoots that brought Monroe to Niagara Falls, Ontario and Banff, Alberta.
No surprise the exhibitions have attracted the attention of the media. I was taken aback by how fascinated some reporters are to the Norma Jean legend, to the point of actually giving themselves Marilyn Monroe ink.
Let me explain.
I had a physio appointment Friday morning. I wasn't planning to go out to the gallery, I was very much looking forward to spending the afternoon on the couch nursing my sore back. While in therapy I got several calls from a TV station. They wanted to do a National Arts story on the show today. ASAP.
I left my physio and headed out to Kleinburg where the public gallery is located. It is a 40-minute drive when there is no Rush Hour traffic. God only knows how long when it is the Rush Hour Crawl is on.
I meet the news crew at 11.30 a.m. There was an experienced cameraman and a rather green reporter waiting for me. This was her third day on the job. She and I got to talking while the cameraman worked. She is 5ft 8, blond, cat walk thin, with a figure not unlike the actress we were looking at in the over 200 pictures and paintings. I mentioned seeing a Marilyn Monroe sculpture at the Key West art gallery and how Ink Parlours near the museum offer Marilyn Monroe tattoos.
She told me she already has Marilyn's signature inked across her back and that she has a Marilyn Monroe styled dress that shows it off well. "Oh yes and I have a tattoo that is in the shape of MM's lips."
The next day, media mogul (Zoomer Magazine, Vision Television, AM740 and Classical 96) Moses Znaimer came out. He is a super fan. A few years ago he bought MM's TV at auction for his Television Museum! He also owns film footage, photographs and a sculpture of Monroe.
He brought with him Ziggy Lorenc. She is currently heard on Moses' AM740, hosting a late night program devoted to romantic music. She was also the star/host of the series Life on Venus Ave that ran on Much Music TV in the 80's. In her day Ziggy Lorenc was known for having a Marilyn Monroe image -- a first for Toronto TV.
On Saturday the show opened to the public. Curators dressed like Monroe, movies were shown in the lobby and Seven, the gallery cafe had a special Monroe menu. The McMichael gallery offered free admission to anyone coming dressed as Monroe. Only one person did, and she admitted she was quite the fan. "Nothing would stop me from coming," she told me, with a Monroe like whisper.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKWw-6g_f0g
I met another follower, 81-year old Neville Bishop, came as a fan, but for a different reason than the MM look-alike.
"Back in 1953 I had been an employee of the Bank of Montreal and I resigned that position in order to go back to school," Neville Bishop said. "I had a summer job and drove a car out to the West for a Waterloo company. I decided to stay and took on a job up at the Banff Springs Hotel as a gas station employee and a cab driver."
" One of the interesting things was there was all sorts of activities going on with the movie families and one involved Marilyn Monroe," he continued. " I spent most of the time driving people back and forth (to the movie set) but on one evening I had an opportunity to have a little bit more time to spend talking with Marilyn Monroe."
"She spoke a great deal about their community of people who worked and travelled(together). It was a new experience for her and others to move up in the Canadian scene. The Rockies were an attraction for everybody."
" It was a wonderful experience sitting there listening to she and her compatriots on the male side of film industry as well. Some of it was very positive and other things were rather disturbing. She always shined!"

Mr Bishop said he stayed in Banff that summer because there was no room left in the hotel during the filming of River of No Return. In town Mr. Bishop spent time thinking about what he was going to do with his life once he returned to the Toronto area.
Mr. Bishop did not let his brush with Hollywood go to his head. At the end of the summer he entered university and in time became an ordained Anglican Minister.
Now retired, Reverend Bishop well remembers the summer of '53 and the "commotion" that Monroe caused where-ever she went in Banff. Still, he felt a little flustered and out of breath when he posed with a buxomy Marilyn Monroe look-alike by the entrance to the McMichael exhibitions.

CUTLINES:
Top - undated picture of Ziggy and Moses
Second from top - Reverend Bishop and a Marilyn Monroe look alike
Third from top - Mississauga's Marilyn Monroe Building (back) under construction
Second from bottom - Blogger / broadcaster Jody Glaze poses with his wife beside a Antonio de Felipe painting of Monroe.
Bottom - McMichael head curator Katerina Atanasova, came to the art-show opening dressed as Marilyn Monroe
Below - Seward's life-sized Marilyn 7-Year Itch statue. Photo taken by sweir in Key West Art Gallery 2010

Thursday 17 February 2011

Dress-up Like Marilyn For Free Admission Sunday


Marilyn Monroe Opening Weekend Activities
Dress-up Like Marilyn For Free Admission Sunday
Peep Culture Author to Speak on Saturday 1pm in Kleinburg


The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is expecting a large turnout for the weekend opening of two exhibitions about Marilyn Monroe. Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe (curated by Artoma, Hamburg, Germany; the tour organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC) and Marilyn in Canada (organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and curated by Chris Finn, Assistant Curator) both open on February 19th and run to May 15th, 2011. Contemporary art and artists, celebrity, notoriety, fame and fortune are key ingredients to these two Marilyn Monroe exhibitions.

There are a number of free with admission programmes taking place all weekend including:

* All weekend long, enjoy movie theatre lobby décor and Marilyn movies playing in the gallery's theatre
* a special Marilyn prix-fixe menu served in the gallery's Seven Restaurant. All weekend
* McMichael educators and docents will give a series of twenty-minute-long tours of the Marilyn Monroe exhibitions, Saturday, Sunday and Monday
* Experience a 1950's theatre-style food concession stand featuring retro Coke, old-fashioned candy bars, ice cream, and popcorn! All Weekend
* DJ Goin'Steady playing Marilyn's Mix, a selection of 1950's music. Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
* Lecture by Hal Niedzviecki, Celebrity to Cewebrity: How Marilyn Ushered in the Age of Peep Culture Saturday, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
* Hal Niedzviecki book signing. Hal's Niedzviecki's book, The Peep Diaries, as well as other books by this author, on sale in Gallery Shop. 2:00 p.m.
* Get in the spirit and dress up like Marilyn for FREE admission all day! Sunday only Guests dressed like Marilyn Monroe are invited to walk the Red Carpet. Sunday 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.
* Family Day kids programming on Monday.

“Although it has been fifty years since the death of Marilyn Monroe, worldwide interest in her life and career has sustained,” says McMichael Chief Curator, Katerina Atanassova. “Our two exhibitions examine how the art world has been motivated by the myth and legend of this iconic star. Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe is an internationally touring exhibition (over 180 paintings and photographs) which has been enhanced by McMichael curators for our visitors.”
Curated especially for the McMichael by the gallery’s Assistant Curator, Chris Finn, Marilyn in Canada provides an intriguing glimpse into Marilyn’s experiences while filming in Canada, as well as her popularity among Canadian artists. Works by artists such as Shelley Niro, John Vachon, and George S. Zimbel are some of the highlights of this unique Canadian content-based exhibition.

ABOUT THE McMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION


The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery, visit www.mcmichael.com.

Sunday 13 February 2011

Live Feed From CNW for Charles Taylor Prize For Literary Non-Fiction Award, February 14th 1-2pm


Toronto resident Stevie Cameron and Peterborough, Ontario’s Charles Foran are in the running for Monday’s Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction.
CNW to stream event from Toronto


Ontario authors Stevie Cameron and Charles Foran are two of five Canadian authors in the running for this year’s Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. The $25,000 prize will be awarded on Monday February 14th at a lunchtime ceremony at the famed King Edward Hotel in Toronto.

Stevie Cameron has been nominated for her book On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women. Peterborough’s Charlie Foran is nominated for his biography Mordecai: The Life & Times. You can follow the proceedings through CNW who will be streaming from the Awards Luncheon. https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=283693&sessionid=1&key=C155B553AA9DE3FFCC99187EC6988B71&sourcepage=register

2011 Charles Taylor Prize Finalists And Their Books Are:


Stevie Cameron
On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women
Charles Foran
Mordecai: The Life & Times
Ross King
Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven
George Sipos
The Geography of Arrival: A Memoir
Merrily Weisbord
The Love Queen of Malabar: Memoir of a friendship with Kamala Das

The Charles Taylor Prize celebrates Canada's literary voice, recognizing the exceptional authors who captivate us with superb command of the English language, an elegance of style and a subtlety of thought and perception.

2011 is the 10th awarding of The Charles Taylor Prize. The prize was originally awarded every two years, but due to an ever-increasing number of submissions, since 2004 the Prize has been presented annually. The Prize commemorates the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada's foremost essayists, a foreign correspondent and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community whose dream was to raise the public profile of non-fiction.

The Prize consists of $25,000 for the winning author and an award of $2,000 for each finalist with promotional support for each short listed title.

The Charles Taylor Foundation with the support of its partners presents the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction: Ben McNally Books, Bravo! and Book Television, CNW Group, Event Source, Indigo Books and Music, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Quill & Quire, The Globe and Mail, and Windfields Farm.

For more information: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca

CUTLINE: Noreen Taylor stands behind this year's short-listed books for the 2011 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction

Contacts

Stephen Weir: 416-489-5868 cell: 416-801-3101
stephen@stephenweir.com
Linda Crane: 905-257-6033 cell: 416-727-0112
cranepr@cogeco.ca

Media get the first peek at Marilyn Monroe Exhibitions this Thursday at the McMichael


MEDIA PREVIEW
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Marilyn Monroe makes her debut at the McMichael, featured in two exhibitions
Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe makes its final stop on an international tour at the gallery

When: Thursday, February 17, 2011, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg (just north of Major Mackenzie Drive)

Why: The public gallery is expecting a large turnout for two exhibitions about Marilyn Monroe. Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe (curated by Artoma, Hamburg, Germany; the tour organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC) and Marilyn in Canada (organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and curated by Chris Finn, Assistant Curator) both open on February 19th and run to May 15th, 2011. Contemporary art and artists, celebrity, notoriety, fame and fortune are key ingredients to these two Marilyn Monroe exhibitions.

Who: Tour the exhibitions and meet with McMichael Chief Curator, Katerina Atanassova and Assistant Curators, Chris Finn and Sharona Adamowicz-Clements.

What: “Although it has been fifty years since the death of Marilyn Monroe, worldwide interest in her life and career has sustained,” says McMichael Chief Curator, Katerina Atanassova. “Our two exhibitions examine how the art world has been motivated by the myth and legend of this iconic star. Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe is an internationally touring exhibition (over 180 paintings and photographs) which has been enhanced by McMichael curators for our visitors.”

Curated especially for the McMichael by the gallery’s Assistant Curator, Chris Finn, Marilyn in Canada provides an intriguing glimpse into Marilyn’s experiences while filming in Canada, as well as her popularity among Canadian artists. Works by artists such as Shelley Niro, John Vachon, and George S. Zimbel are some of the highlights of this unique Canadian content-based exhibition.

Both shows demonstrate the broad range of artists who responded creatively to Marilyn’s life – from a constellation of great fashion photographers of her day, to the champions of the Pop Art movement in North America, to well-known artists in Canadian contemporary art.


About the Gallery

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery, visit www.mcmichael.com.

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Please RSVP:
Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Media Advisory - The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction


Media Advisory - The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction

2011 AWARD CEREMONY & LUNCHEON


Monday, February 14
Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Toronto
Reception 11:30 a.m. • Luncheon 12:00 p.m. • Winner Announcement 1:45 pm
What: A luncheon to honour this year's CTP author finalists. Meet the jurors and Prize Trustees. Cover the winner after the announcement of this prestigious $25,000 national book prize.
Where: Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Sovereign Ballroom, 37 King St. E., Toronto

2011 Charles Taylor Prize Finalists

Stevie Cameron
On the Farm:
Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women

Charles Foran
Mordecai: The Life & Times

Ross King
Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven

George Sipos
The Geography of Arrival: A Memoir

Merrily Weisbord
The Love Queen of Malabar: Memoir of a friendship with Kamala Das

Prize spokespersons:
Noreen Taylor, Chair, The Charles Taylor Foundation
CTP Inaugural Year Jurors: Neil Bissoondath, Eva-Marie Kroller & David McFarlane
Prize co-founder and Trustee Dr. David Staines

The Charles Taylor Prize celebrates Canada's literary voice, recognizing the exceptional authors who captivate us with superb command of the English language, an elegance of style and a subtlety of thought and perception.

2011 is the 10th awarding of The Charles Taylor Prize. The prize was originally awarded every two years, but due to an ever increasing number of submissions, since 2004 the Prize has been presented annually.

The Prize commemorates the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada's foremost essayists, a foreign correspondent and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community whose dream was to raise the public profile of non-fiction.

The Prize consists of $25,000 for the winning author and an award of $2,000 for each finalist with promotional support for each shortlisted title.

The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is presented by the Charles Taylor Foundation with the support of its partners: Ben McNally Books, Bravo! and Book Television, CNW Group, Event Source, Indigo Books and Music, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Quill & Quire, The Globe and Mail, and Windfields Farm.

For more information: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca

Contacts

Media covering the event are requested to RSVP* through Stephen Weir & Associates:
Stephen Weir:
Linda Crane: 416-489-5868
905-257-6033 cell: 416-801-3101
cell: 416-727-0112 stephen@stephenweir.com
cranepr@cogeco.ca

*Working media are welcome for lunch. Due to limited seating capacity
please indicate if seating required by noon on Friday
Feb. 11th. Greenroom lunch available for camera crews.

Tuesday 8 February 2011

Marilyn Monroe Comes to the McMichael

Spend the Family Day Long Weekend exploring the legend of Marilyn Monroe
Special programming based on two new,intriguing art exhibitions at the McMichael!


For Immediate Release
February 7, 2011 Kleinburg, ON – When the McMichael Canadian Art Collection opens two special exhibitions on February 19, 2011, based on the late iconic American film star Marilyn Monroe, it will be a weekend filled with guided tours, films and music along with special programming every day based on these shows, all included with gallery admission. Plus on Sunday, February 20 only, the gallery will waive its entrance fee for visitors who dress in Marilyn Monroe attire! The public gallery in Kleinburg is expecting a large turnout to see the new exhibitions, Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe (curated by Artoma, Hamburg, Germany and tour organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC) and Marilyn in Canada (organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and curated by Chris Finn, Assistant Curator). Contemporary art and artists, celebrity, notoriety, fame and fortune are key ingredients to these two Marilyn Monroe exhibitions on show at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection from February 19 to May 15, 2011.

A weekend of programs to celebrate the opening of the Marilyn Monroe exhibitions will take place on the Family Day Long Weekend, February 19 to 21, 2011. Over the weekend the gallery will feature movie theatre lobby décor and there will be Marilyn movies playing in the gallery’s theatre, plus a special Marilyn prix-fixe menu will be served in the gallery’s Seven Restaurant. Here is detailed information on what will take place at the McMichael from February 19 to 21:

All weekend long, join McMichael educators and docents for a series of twenty-minute-long tours of Marilyn’s Fragments and Fabulous 1950s, documentary films about Marilyn, and music by DJ Goin’ Steady, and more, all included with gallery admission.

Saturday, February 19:
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lecture by Hal Niedzviecki: Celebrity to Cewebrity: How Marilyn Ushered in the Age of Peep Culture
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Join the McMichael’s Assistant Curator, Chris Finn, for a tour of his exhibition, Marilyn in Canada.

Sunday, February 20:
Get in the spirit and dress up like Marilyn for free admission all day at the McMichael! Then, at 1:00 p.m., we invite you to strut your stuff on the “Red Carpet” in the gallery’s Grand Hall!

Monday, February 21:
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Celebrate Family Day by taking a tour or join a family silk screen workshop at 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.

These exhibitions capture the making of a celebrity and the myth behind the woman the world knew as Marilyn Monroe. Nearly five decades after her death, Monroe remains undisputedly one of the most famous movie stars in the world. Her intriguing personality and the aura surrounding her tragic death continuously attracted many artists, who responded more acutely to the creation of a legend.

“Although it has been fifty years since the death of Marilyn Monroe, worldwide interest in her life and career has sustained,” said McMichael Chief Curator, Katerina Atanassova. “Our two exhibitions examine how the art world has been motivated by the myth and legend of this iconic actress. Life as a Legend is an internationally touring exhibition which has been additionally curated by McMichael staff to enhance its content for our visitors. The uniquely McMichael-curated show, Marilyn in Canada, provides an intriguing glimpse into Marilyn’s experiences while filming in Canada as well as her popularity among Canadian artists.”
Her mystique is an inspiration in many genres as currently several projects are in the works, or have just recently been released, which feature Marilyn Monroe. Two feature films are in production: My Week with Marilyn starring Oscar® nominated actress Michelle Williams and, Blonde, starring another Oscar® nominated actress, Naomi Watts. A collection of writings by the Hollywood icon was released in October 2010. The book, Fragments, includes poems, letters, and other writings dating from Monroe’s teenage years to shortly before her death.

The internationally acclaimed touring exhibition, Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe, makes its final stop of a successful tour at the McMichael. The exhibition explores the incredibly diverse array of artistic responses to Marilyn’s image. An impressive grouping of paintings, photographs, and prints by world-renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, and Eduardo Paolozzi, along with unforgettable snapshots by the most famous photographers of the day such as Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Bernard of Hollywood make this exhibition a true revelation for Monroe’s fans.

Curated especially for the McMichael by the gallery’s Assistant Curator, Chris Finn, Marilyn in Canada provides an intriguing glimpse into Marilyn’s experiences while filming in Canada as well as her popularity among Canadian artists. Works by artists such as Shelley Niro, John Vachon, and George S. Zimbel are some of the highlights of this unique Canadian-content based exhibition. Both shows demonstrate the broad range of artists who responded creatively to Marilyn’s life – from a constellation of great fashion photographers of her day to the champions of the Pop Art movement in North America to well known artists in Canadian contemporary art.

ABOUT THE McMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery, visit www.mcmichael.com.

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For further information or to receive high resolution images, contact:

Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com


Images above, Bert Stern, “Here’s to you” from The Last Sitting, 1962/1978, C-Print, © Bert Stern; Milton H. Greene, Marilyn Monroe, New York City, “Ballerina Sitting,” 1954, Inkjet print, © Joshua Greene www.legendslicensing.com; John Vachon (1914– 1975), Untitled (Marilyn with Mountie), 1953, photographic reprint, 61 x 51 cm, Courtesy of the Estate of John Vachon and Dover Publications Inc.