Center Publishes William Faulkner Posters

The Center recently published two high-quality duotone posters featuring photographs of William Faulkner . One poster features a compelling portrait of a young William Faulkner made by Colonel J. R. Cofield in his Oxford studio in 1930. The portrait was made for the promotion of Faulkner's novel Sanctuary. The second poster features a photograph by Martin J. Dain made at Rowan Oak in 1962. Dain was completing work on his book Yoknapatawpha: Faulkner's County when he made the photograph.

The Center acquired the Cofield Collection from Martha Cofield, widow of Jack Cofield. The Cofield Collection contains over 11,000 images with about 350 portraying William Faulkner and his world in the hill country of Mississippi. The Cofield Studio was founded in Oxford in 1928 by J. R. Cofield and later run by Cofield's son, Jack Cofield. Colonel Cofield once remarked of photographing the famous writer, "I always said Bill should have been in Hollywood as an actor, not a writer, because I never saw him fazed by a mere camera. He was so natural that I never had to pose him for any photograph. Everything just fell into place without sweating over getting the right angles."

The Center has also acquired the Martin J. Dain Collection. Dain, now a resident of Carmel Valley, California, photographed in Lafayette County during 1961 and 1962 resulting in his classic 1964 book Yoknapatawpha: Faulkner's County. A freelance photojournalist who worked for major magazines, corporations, and advertising agencies, Dain was an avid reader of Faulkner. His love and understanding of the literature drew him to the Oxford area to make photographs that "evoked" the world of Faulkner.

The Dain Collection, which consists of 8,734 33mm images, contains some 150 images of Faulkner near his stable with his dogs and horses. In addition to photographing the writer, Dain spent considerable time throughout Lafayette County, documenting daily life among blacks and whites. The Dain Collection provides an important documentary look at Oxford and Lafayette County in the early 1960s.

The Cofield family and Martin Dain receive a royalty on the sale of each poster. The posters are 18 x 24 inches and are printed on high-quality coated paper. They cost $18.95 each and are available at bookstores and art shops throughout the country or may be ordered from the Center by calling 800-390-3527.

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