I think to really understand Sealskin by Jeff Dworsky, you need to page through this book slowly. Then, you need to do it again after researching more about Jeff. The book has no biographical information about him. But once you find out more, your mind might change about what’s in front of you. In fact, you might even call it one of the best photo books of 2024.
You can pick up Sealskin over at Charcoal Press. Charcoal sent the Phoblographer a review copy of this book and does not expect it to be returned.
We mentioned that this was one of the best at the ICP Photo Book Festival. I truly mean that — ICP’s lighting is infamously horrendous, but I still feel pretty hard for this photo book. And in the beautiful light of my office, it felt like a life-giving cup of coffee on a cloudy morning.
The storytelling is compositionally beautiful and eerie at the same time. In fact, I think that these photos are compositional masterpieces using the landscape format. Clearly, this project wasn’t originally intended for social media, and that’s kind of refreshing. That’s because after some extra research, I found out that these images were made in the 1970s and 1980s.
First, we need to dive into the story of Jeff Dworsky. According to Charcoal Press. Jeff dropped out of school at the age of 14 and then bought a Leica at the age of 15. The next year, he moved to a small island in Maine. Jeff became a fisherman, and one of his stories is featured in Angler’s Journal. As things happened, he got married to a woman he fell in love with, moved to a smaller island, and then built a life. He still lives in Penobscot Bay.
His story is told in a similar way to a myth using text in the book. The font is very hard to read and very small. And that’s a shame because the book opens up with what seems to be a wonderful mythological short story about women and sealskins. The story continues throughout the book. If you research more into Jeff’s life, you realize that the story is a mirror of his own life — but far less supernatural.
I should state the very obvious here. As a person of color with legal blindness, I’d say that if this story happened today it would probably be a matter of pure privilege. Hence, I’d also perhaps be very dismissive of yet another person with mommy and daddy’s money trying to be an artist and not truly going through a struggle. I’m a firm believer that pressure makes diamonds — and lots of the best photographers have had a struggle of some sort to deal with. Granted, I’ve known people who were homeless at age 16 because of issues in their households. Life’s hardest moments can really change a person, and it’s important that we find ways to heal. Jeff, perhaps, found healing in documentary photography. So, I cannot pass judgment. Ultimately, I think that this adds to how romantic this photo book is. Things were far different in the 1970s. Life was much easier and monumentally simpler.
With all that in mind, I think it’s an easier story for both women and POCs to be able to digest. Best of all, the photos aren’t split between pages. Charcoal press has really made a masterpiece here by using matte paper with an incredibly soft sheen. In fact, I think you need to view these images with really bright light being diffused. Obviously, also make sure that the book is propped up just enough to make the photos perform at their fullest potential.
Jeff’s images mix so many different colors, scenes, and people. You’re not super sure about the connection he has to these people either, as there isn’t much text in the book. So, instead, you end up making up your own stories. Once you’ve read all the text though, you probably will view the book differently if you choose to look through it again. And honestly, we think you really should. It’s a stunning photo book and an incredibly well-done one.
We’re giving Sealskin 5 out of 5 stars.