The Hereditary Estate

Book excerpt: The Hereditary Estate functions as a ten-year retrospective and as a conceptual work of art in its own right. Coburn's work investigates the medium of the family photo album. Frustrated by the lack of images that document the true and sometimes troubling nature of his own familial history, the photographer set out to create a new archive, a potent reminder of the falsity of most family photo albums. Using photographs taken over the last decade and altered Coburn creates a family narrative that is simultaneously beautiful and terrifying.