Take a look at some of America’s most idiosyncratic individuals.
Award-winning photographer Peter Guttman’s latest book features some of the most vibrant, wildly diverse and mostly invisible Americans in their natural habitat.
Titled “American Character: Surprising Portraits of an Unseen Nation,” the portraits offer a glimpse into the rarely viewed worlds of Buddhist monks, “freak show” performers, nuclear physicists, gold diggers and Bigfoot hunters.
Avid readers can also see the lives of Yupik hunters, Amish farmers, Hopi elders, Native Hawaiian storytellers, and Hasidic bakery owners between the pages.
Speaking of the book, Guttman explained in a lengthy LinkedIn after: ‘While much of this life has been spent exploring the global wonders of our planet on all seven continents, I have always been intrigued by the hidden nooks and back roads that scrawl the remote edges of my homeland.
“This full-color labor of love is filled with dazzling images that present a kaleidoscopic encyclopedic tableau of the American experience as seen through its vastly diverse population.
“These vibrant cultural elements offer readers a fascinating glimpse into the rarely seen worlds of tornado chasers, eel hunters, Buddhist monks and Amish farmers, creating the opportunity to join the ranks of walrus hunters, Bigfoot trackers and nuclear physicists.”
With American Character, Guttman hopes his ninth book will “provide a healing balm and a much deeper insight into the vast spectrum of Americans and our mutual ambitions.”
Peter Guttman’s American Character: Surprising Portraits of an Unseen Nation showcases some of the most vibrant, wildly diverse and mostly invisible Americans in their natural habitat
Taking care not to sneeze and letting peace reign, an unflappable beekeeper in Middletown, New York bravely harbors hordes of ten thousand buzzing honeybees surrounding the single queen caged in his makeshift chain.
As part of San Antonio’s annual Fiesta, an A Day in Old Mexico celebration is presented by the city’s Charro Association, the largest and oldest of its kind this side of the Rio Grande. Elegantly robed and dressed, this seated charro ponders his dangerous upcoming Paso de la Muerte event
A Bigfoot seeker at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
Fasnacht Masquerades in Helvetia, West Virginia
A Sandcastle competition judge in Rockaway Beach, New York City, New York
A Halloween devil in Greenwich Village, New York City, New York
Drag Queen bingo hosts in West Hollywood, California
An Amish cornerball spectator in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania
From the warping porch of Bayside Tavern, two fully shrouded servers step above Colyell Creek to empty plates of their fried alligator, smeared with cornmeal, crushed red pepper and a drizzle of Tabasco sauce in Port Vincent, Louisiana
A cranberry gatherer in Chatsworth, New Jersey
Celebrants of the Day of the Dead Mourners in Hollywood, California
A May breakfast hostess in Cranston, Rhode Island
An ice harvester in Tully, New York
A farm couple portraying characters from the 1962 Tony-winning theater performance The Music Man in Eldon, Iowa
A gold prospector in Dahlonega, Georgia
A pair of swing dancers in Gruene, Texas
A sugar cattle drover in Ashfield, Massachusetts
A Morris dancer in Newfane, Vermont
A cattle dealer in Marion, Montana
A tobacco grower in Southwick, Massachusetts
A wheat harvester in Titusville, New Jersey
Two urban garden activists in the Lower East Side, New York City, New York
A stained glass restorer in Washington, District of Columbia
A couple of showgirls in Las Vegas, Nevada
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in Richmond Hill, New York City, New York
A ventriloquism museum director at Fort Mitchell, Kentucky