D.B. Dowd publishes “Reading Pictures”

Professor D.B. Dowd’s new book, “Reading Pictures: A History of Illustration” will be published this month by Princeton University Press. The volume traces the development of illustration as an integral part of the reading experience, from the advent of the printing press to modern times. Containing more than 400 images, the book reframes the story of illustration within the broader histories of race, gender, literacy, and the transmissions of cultural memory.

Dowd is a professor of design and American culture studies and faculty director of the Dowd Illustration Research Archive at WashU. He serves as chair of the undergraduate design program.