Dowd on history of illustration and its resonance with contemporary practitioners
2026-05-26 •
In April 2026, D.B. Dowd, professor and chair of undergraduate design, published his latest book, “Reading Pictures: A History of Illustration” (Princeton University Press). The richly illustrated book reframes the story of illustration within the broader histories of race, gender, literacy, and the transmission of cultural memory.
Dowd joined a series of podcasts in spring 2026 to discuss the themes addresed in “Reading Pictures.”
Chair, Undergraduate Design | Faculty Director, Dowd Illustration Research Archive | Professor
A history of illustration from the beginning of popular print to the rise of mass literacy and into today’s age of digital media.
Of all the visual arts, illustration shares a unique relationship with the written word, often serving to visualize, enhance, or respond to a text. Reading Pictures presents a global history of this versatile art form, linking its emergence to modern developments such as the illustrated news, recreational reading, and ad-driven consumer culture.
Richly illustrated with more than four hundred images spanning the iconic to the unexpected, Reading Pictures reframes the story of illustration within the broader histories of race, gender, literacy, and the transmission of cultural memory. It reveals how reading and looking have become increasingly integrated, and that, as images have become ever more prevalent today with the digital revolution, what is meant by literacy has evolved.