Roadside America by John Margolies
ABOUT THIS COLLECTION
Margolies (1940-2016) is considered the country’s foremost photographer of vernacular architecture—the coffee shops shaped like coffee pots; the gas station shaped like a dinosaur; and the motels that took the shape of everything from wigwams to zeppelins. Starting in 1969 and for a period of 40 years, Margolies traveled 100,000 miles across the contiguous 48 states to document the architecture and signage of buildings that expressed the ingenuity and eccentricity of America’s entrepreneurial energy after World War II. These “exclamation points” on the landscape, few and far between today, were gradually put out of business by air travel, interstate highways and big-box stores. Margolies produced a number of richly illustrated books from his photographs, including “John Margolies: Roadside America” (2010). While his work helped put some roadside buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, in many cases the only remaining record of these buildings is on Margolies' film.
COLLECTION DETAILS
- Series title: Roadside America
- Series size: 12 artworks
- Edition: Limited edition of 1000
- Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarrante proof of ownership.
- Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
- Medium: Photography
- Artwork materials: Photographic paper
- Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
- ID: 2749212597480566...
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in New Canaan, CT., Margolies developed a love for vernacular architecture sitting in the backseat of his parents’ car on road trips. At the age of 29, he began his journey to document that architecture with his camera on trips as long as eight weeks at a stretch. Shooting with a 35mm Canon FT along with ASA 25 film to obtain maximum color saturation that you see in his photographs, he captured his subjects with as little artistic intervention as possible. He shot them all against a cloudless blue sky early in the morning,, without any distractions like people, litter (he carried a broom in his car to sweep any debris), or even parked cars (with a few exceptions). His images are straightforward (sometimes shot at an angle to give a better view of its details) and unsentimental, with a tight edge-to-edge crop that indicates what he exactly wanted you to see. “I would go out by myself and I’d turn myself into a camera. Go in a hotel room and collapse, and get up the next morning and do it again and again and again. And I loved it,” he said.
COLLECTION CREDITS
- Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
- Artwork: John Margolies
- Year of original publication: 1969
- Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
- Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
- Editorial: Braden Phillips
- Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
- Executive production: Victor Zabrockis
RIGHTS OVERVIEW
- Source of artwork: Library of Congress
- Underlying work rights: No Known Restrictions
- Digital copyrights: No additional rights
ABOUT THE ARTWORKS
Find below the name of each of the 8 Artworks (historical NFTs) that are included in this collection:
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01. The Donut Hole, straight-on view, no cars, Amar Road, La Puente, California, 1991
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02. Dinosaur Village RV Mobile Home Park, dinosaur statue and sign, Route 40, Jensen, Utah, 1991
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03. Terrace Drive-In Theater, Terrace Way, Bakersfield, California, 1987
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04. Wall Drug final billboard, Wall, South Dakota, 1987
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05. Roadside flamingo statue, Frog City, Route 41, Florida, 1980
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06. Atomic Signs sign, Route 550, Farmington, New Mexico, 1980
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07. Big Fish Supper Club, Route 2, Bena, Minnesota, 1980
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08. Wigwam Village #6, Route 66, Holbrook, Arizona, 1979
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09. Club Cafe sign near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, 1987
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10. St. Joseph Auto and Furniture Fabric slipcover sign, Saint Joseph, Missouri, 1988
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11. Billboard, near Dillon, South Carolina, 1986
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12. The Whale Car Wash, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1979