Fans of Houston history are now able to thumb through ‘Houston On the Move: A Photographic History’.
The new book, released on Tuesday, October 25 by the University of Texas Press, gives a new audience access to some of the best photos from the collection of Bob Bailey Studios.
‘Houston On the Move’ collects over 200 photos, showing the transformation of the city from a flat grassland to a busy metropolis. Bailey’s studio began to photograph the city in 1929; according to historians, the studio’s team took over 500,000 shots of the area in the seven decades to follow.
The text of the book was authored by Steven R. Strom, who offers context and background for collected photographs. Strom is an architectural archivist and former director of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center.
The book looks at more major events, such as Johnson Space Center and the construction of the Astrodome, but also shows day-to-day life in the Bayou City. Photos include big moments, like parades, and small moments, like the sort of birthday party photos that a family might use for postcard printing.
After both Bailey and his brother died, the Houston Photographic and Architectural Trust acquired the collection. Starting in 2005, the University of Texas began to digitize the photographs. Early reviews call the book ‘masterfully crafted, organized, and executed’.
