Phil Vinson grew up in Fort Worth, fascinated by the city's visual 
icons: Mrs. Baird's Bakery on Summit Avenue, historic Thistle Hill, 
the tower at the Will Rogers Complex, the Tarrant County 
Courthouse, the Texas Electric smokestacks, the art-deco design of 
the Texas & Pacific depot, the Paddock Viaduct. He started making 
photographs while still in his teens but as an adult he rediscovered the 
visual richness of his hometown. Once he started photographing, he 
couldn't stop. For the past four decades, through careers as a 
journalist, photographer, and teacher, he has spent the weekends 
driving around taking pictures.

    Vinson has particular respect for subjects that have been around 
for enough years to acquire a certain dignity and nobility. Aware that 
the days of many of these old structures may be numbered, he has 
tried to document such buildings as the Seventh Street Theater 
before they disappeared to the wrecking ball.

    Fort Worth is well documented in photographs, but in many 
photographs Vinson has moved beyond documentation to a more 
intimate, personal view of the city, looking for dramatic light and 
compelling visual design, focusing on architectural details and 
graphic possibilities not obvious at a casual glance.

    While most of the photographs in this collection focus on Fort 
Worth, Vinson, who lived in Childress as a small child, is also drawn 
to rural or small-town subjects and includes here pictures taken on 
weekend drives to small communities in North and West Texas.

_________________________________________________________

PHIL VINSON was a reporter/photographer for the Fort Worth Star-
Telegram for several years before opening his own photography 
business. In the 1990s he joined the faculty at the University of Texas 
at Arlington. Now retired and living on Fort Worth's East Side, he and 
his wife still spend weekends driving around the city and surrounding 
countryside so he can continue making photographs.



What people are saying about this book

"This is no glossy chamber of commerce collection of souvenir city 
views. It's much better—and more emotional. With a journalist's 
focus, Phil captures the essence of the city that lies in the details we 
know are there but rarely slow down long enough to ponder and 
appreciate."—Quentin McGown


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