Beau­mon­t’s Kitchen

Beaumont’s Kitchen offers an unex­pected coun­ter­point to the tower­ing public career of Beau­mont Newhall, widely regarded as the father of photo­graphic history. Beyond his pivotal role in codi­fy­ing the medium, Newhall was a fastid­i­ous and gener­ous chef, presid­ing over his table with the same crit­i­cal eye he applied to his art. This volume bypasses the museum catalog entirely, compil­ing a selec­tion of his weekly food columns, ​“Epicure Corner,” published in The Brighton-Pitts­ford Post between 1956 and 1969.

The book is a visual and intel­lec­tual record of the era. The arti­cles and recipes are paired with inti­mate photographs taken by members of the Newhall Circle — icons like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Paul Strand. Their images estab­lish the precise, creative atmos­phere surround­ing the intel­lec­tual gath­er­ings hosted by Newhall.

With recol­lec­tions from colleagues and friends, and an essay by editor David Schein­baum (who worked closely with Newhall for fifteen years), the book is both a tribute to a photo­graphic legacy and a cele­bra­tion of his distinct talent for hospi­tal­ity. It is a neces­sary acqui­si­tion for anyone inter­ested in the conflu­ence of art history and the culinary arts.