D.B. Dowd's new book "Reading Pictures" offers a sweeping 400-page history of illustration, tracing the genre from the Diamond Sutra frontispiece in Tang China (AD868) to Molly Crabapple's Gaza reports in 2015. The book examines key works such as Jules Chéret's 1891 poster for the Alcazar d'Été Club, Stuart Davis's caustic covers for The Masses, and Duong Ngoc Canh's Vietnamese propaganda poster, arguing that illustrations are meant to be "read" rather than admired like museum paintings.
This matters because Dowd reframes illustration as a vital cultural force—used for pleasure, parody, and propaganda—rather than a minor art form. By connecting historical examples across cultures and centuries, from Japanese woodcuts to Nazi picture books, the book highlights how illustrations have shaped literacy, politics, and social attitudes, making a case for their serious study in art history.