Picturing American Modernity: Traffic, Technology, and the Silent Cinema

More about the book

Exploring the intersection of early American cinema and technological modernity, Kristen Whissel reveals how silent films from the late 1890s to World War I shaped public perceptions of industrialization and urbanization. The book highlights how these films depicted the evolving dynamics of movement—people, goods, and information—transforming both work and leisure. Through compelling visual narratives, they illustrated the changing landscapes of modern life in the U.S. and its expanding empire, reflecting both the opportunities and challenges of this new era.