American Disguise

American Disguise, by Eric Renner. Flying Monkey Press (available at www. pinholeresource.com)/277 pp./$50.00 (hb).

Charlie Chaplin, Boy Scout, Buster Brown, Theda Bara, Mutt & Jeff, Broncho Billy, Kewpie Dolls, Battlin' Bart, Little Black Sambo, Captain Kiddo-so begins the inventory of 115

media figures listed in the table of contents of Eric Renner's American Disguise. On the facing page are photographs of the overflowing shelves of Renner's archive of chalk figures. Used as carnival prizes from 1915 through the 1940s, the statuettes are caricatures of once-living individuals, cartoon characters, literary creations, and archetypes-the motley mix of hero, myth, and stereotype that captures the American popular imagination. The tide is telling as American Disguise implies icons of masquerade, deception, and concealed identity.

Renner, best known as a pinhole photographer and founder of Pinhole Resource Inc., has collected chalk carnival prizes for eleven years. His dramatically lit color pinhole portraits of these objects are strong, mysterious, and often ominous re-animations. They would have made a fine monograph but are used here as one element in a more ambitious project. Extensive research into the history and meaning of the figures led Rentier to a study of popular culture, with an emphasis on the beginnings of mass media in the early decades of the last century. He is fascinated with the nature of archetype and stereotype-their evolution and their use for purposes of propaganda and manipulation.

Each of the characters has an accompanying text and a visual representation from popular media. At his best, Renner steps back and lets diverse historical sources construct meaning. His description of Rudolph Valentine as stereotypical Latin lover includes a quote by H.L. Mencken as well as a poem by the performer. However, when the text becomes a platform for Renner's political and social views it is less successful as cultural history.

AUTHOR_AFFILIATION

JOAN LYONS is an artist and bookmaker and is currently working on an annotated bibliography of Visual Studies Workshop Press.