There's nothing quite like a relationship with an aged pet--a dog or cat who has been at our
side for years forming an ineffable bond. Pampered pets however are a rarity among animals
who have been domesticated. Farm animals for example are usually slaughtered before their
first birthday. We never stop to think about it but the typical images we see of cows
chickens pigs and the like are of young animals. What would we see if they were allowed to
grow old? Isa Leshko shows us brilliantly with this collection of portraits. To create these
portraits she spent hours with her subjects gaining their trust and putting them at ease. The
resulting images reveal the unique personality of each animal without anthropomorphizing. It's
impossible to look away from the animals in these images as they unforgettably meet our gaze
simultaneously calm and challenging. In these photographs we see the cumulative effects of the
hardships of industrialized farm life but also the healing that time can bring and the
dignity that can emerge when farm animals are allowed to age on their own terms. Each portrait
is accompanied by a brief biographical note about its subject and the book is rounded out with
essays that explore the history of animal photography the place of beauty in activist art and
much more. Open this book to any page. Meet Teresa a thirteen-year-old Yorkshire Pig or
Melvin an eleven-year-old Angora Goat or Tom a seven-year-old Broad Breasted White Turkey.
You'll never forget them.
