In The Fairest Fowl: Portraits of Championship Chickens, a photographer teaches us that "chickens this amazing don't just happen"
Humans have the beauty pageants. Dogs have the Westminster Kennel Club
Dog Show. But who knew chickens, too, had their own line of competitive
narcissism? In The Fairest Fowl: Portraits of Championship Chickens, photographer Tamara Staples
documents the fascinating and glamorous world of poultry fanciers and
their prized barnyard beauties, from the surprisingly elaborate judging
process to the distinct personalities of individual birds that shine
through Staples's portraits. Printed on appropriately lavish paper and
garnished with a delicious essay by NPR's Ira Glass illuminating the
intricacies of chicken portraiture, the book is equal parts rich
anthropology of a curious subculture and remarkable feat of photographic
brilliance.
"Chickens this amazing don't just happen. People help them along—breed them, nurture them, take them from the humble coop to the top of the poultry world. In what's left of rural America, there is a poultry world. And it's bigger than you think. At a recent national competition, 12,000 birds showed up."
"In the world of
championship chickens, there's a 100-point scale, and every feature
counts. [...] The American Standard of Perfection is regularly linked to
the Bible. Almost every breeder or judge speaks of the book in such
exalted terms. The Standard exhaustively discusses every possible nuance
of a show chicken, and there is little to no ambiguity between its
covers."
Equal parts kooky and artful, The Fairest Fowl
captures a rare convergence of idiosyncrasy and idealism, making room
for extraordinary grace and dignity in what could otherwise be dismissed
as frivolous eccentricity.
This post also appears on Brain Pickings.
Images: Tamara Staples
