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LaToya Ruby Frazier: The Notion of Family
Market Summary
Collector 36.7 · Deal 77.9
Avg $43.64 · Low $24.99 · Listings 16
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LaToya Ruby Frazier: The Notion of Family

Collector Grade · C- Deal · Great Confidence · High
Paperback English 156 pages 24.13 x 27.31 x 1.52 cm 1.01 kg

Market Score Summary

Rarity 0/100 · Collector 36.67/100 · Deal 77.89/100 · Listings: 16 · Avg price: $43.64 · Min price: $24.99

Description

The Notion of Family explores intimate portraiture and social documentary photography to interrogate the complexities of familial bonds within an industrial, post-industrial American context. LaToya Ruby Frazier uses a deeply personal visual approach marked by black-and-white imagery to capture the lived experiences of her own family in Braddock, Pennsylvania, highlighting themes of identity, legacy, and resilience.

Frazier’s photographs convey a mood of quiet endurance and poignancy, reflecting on economic hardship, environmental decay, and the intergenerational effects of these conditions on family life. The 156-page book, published by Aperture in 2016, positions these images within contemporary dialogues on race, class, and community, creating a layered narrative that is both documentary and autobiographical in nature.

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Reviews & Articles

LaToya Ruby Frazier, The Notion of Family

LaToya Ruby Frazier’s first book, The Notion of Family, presents a powerful photo journal and narrative documenting her family’s struggles with disease and poverty in Braddock, a declining steel town. Through stark photographs and descriptive texts, she reveals the harsh realities shaped by environmental and social decay, chronicling multiple generations of women in her family. The work is both a deeply personal account and a socio-historical documentary that connects intimate family life with broader issues of gender, class, race, and industrial decline. The book also includes context essays that situate her story within Braddock’s history and the tradition of photography. Read Article

The Notion of Family LaToya Ruby Frazier

LaToya Frazier’s first monograph, The Notion of Family, captures the decline of Braddock, Pennsylvania, a once-thriving steel town with a rich African American labor history. The book intertwines personal family hardships with broader themes of class and race, featuring mostly black-and-white photographs arranged like a family album. Over twelve years, Frazier created intimate portraits with her mother alongside images of urban decay. The work reflects on three generations of her family, raising questions about community, belonging, and responsibility while challenging traditional documentary photography narratives. Read Article