"Finnegan digs into an important and under-examined aspect of the 'invasion' of photographic representation into public and private life. Recommended."--Choice
"Finnegan's work offers an important addition to a growing body of scholarship on the impact of reading photography as a means of understanding the state of the nation."--American Historical Review
"What historical viewers made of photographs publicly displayed -- how they interpreted and then assimilated them to their own experiences and belief systems -- is the daunting topic explored by Cara Finnegan in Making Photography Matter. . . . Her training in rhetorical theory made her ideal for the task. Her nuanced analysis reveals how viewers interpreted what they had seen and 'insert[ed] themselves as active agents in the stories the photographs had to tell.'" -- The Annals of Iowa
"Finnegan's work reminds scholars not only that viewing experiences are contingent and contextual but also that they reveal viewers' agency and interiority. . . . Finnegan's well-written and tightly argued book is of great use to scholars in many disciplines."--The Journal of Southern History
"The author uses plain language and homey metaphors to excellent effect. A solid and enticing piece of scholarly writing."--David M. Lubin, author of Shooting Kennedy: JFK and the Culture of Images
"Fine historical research. An important contribution to photographic studies."--Miles Orvell, author of The Death and Life of Main Street: Small Towns in American Memory, Space, and Community
"An original and important book that has historical, critical, and theoretical significance. Creatively and productively develops and extends a nascent and growing interest and perspective on the relationship between photography and public culture."--John Lucaites, author of No Caption Needed: Iconic Photographs, Public Culture and Liberal Democracy