Bill Eppridge (1938–2013)

A Time it Was: Bobby Kennedy in the Sixties. Photographs and text by Bill Eppridge. Essay by Pete Hamill.
New York: Abrams, 2008. 191 p., hardcover
This year is the fortieth anniversary of the death of Robert F. Kennedy. There are several books that have or will be published about him this year. A Time It Was: Bobby Kennedy in the Sixties was released in May of this year.
Photographer Bill Eppridge had unprecedented access to Bobby Kennedy during the 1968 presidential campaign. He was working as a photographer for Life Magazine at the time and travelled with Bobby and his entourage on the campaign trail.
This book features many of Eppridge’s photographs from that time; many have never been published before. Eppridge's accompanying text helps you to feel what it must have been like to actually have been there; a few times his photographs and his words reduced me to tears. The photographs featured in the book are from 1964 to 1968, the majority of which are from his 1968 presidential campaign. The introduction to the book is an essay written by Pete Hamill, a long time friend of the Kennedy family.
Eppridge's description of the shooting of Bobby and its aftermath are the most touching parts of the book. While Ethel Kennedy tried to get all the press and photographers out of the room after Bobby was shot, I am glad Eppridge continued shooting. They are some of the most powerful photographs I have ever seen. Eppridge even managed to get inside Good Samaritan hospital to take photographs of those waiting to hear word. There are no photographs of the family or of Bobby at the hospital.
There is even some humor in the book. One story that Eppridge relates had me almost laughing out loud. On the way to Arlington, the press bus took its place right behind the hearse carrying Bobby's body (as they had always taken their place right behind his convertible on the campaign), even though the Presidential limousine was meant to be in that spot. It took the Secret Service three tries before the press bus would back off. As Eppridge said, Bobby would have gotten a laugh out of this last dig at Lyndon Johnson.
I would definitely recommend you get this book for the rare photographs it contains. It is great for those of us who weren’t there to see how people reacted to Bobby and see that the emotions and the crowds were real. My favourite photographs are those of Bobby in the midst of a crowd and the reaction of the people. Freckles, Bobby's dog, also gets a few mentions and there are lots of photographs of him. I especially love the photograph of someone holding a sign saying "Freckles for First Dog."
The format of the book is what I would call a small coffee table book; longer than it is wide. This is the perfect format to present the great photographs featured in this book.
This book review is an updated version of one from my blog.… (mere)