DRESSED TO IMPRESS

Edited by Prestel, 2025. Dressed to Impress, the most recent book to have come out of that endeavor, aims to preserve the collective memory of the way we lived in an increasingly distant past. It features more than two hundred vibrant, candid color slides, presented in stunning full-page spreads, that reflect how people dressed in all kinds of settings at home and on vacation, playing and working, partying and hanging out. The images have for the most part, never been printed or published and their raw, unpolished quality make them all the more fascinating and arresting. In turns funny, startling, and touching, this collection provides a unique and intimate glimpse into the fashion and everyday experiences of real people during a transformative period in our common history.

The Anonymous Project presents BEING THERE, LEE SHULMAN & OMAR VICTOR DIOP

Edited by Textuel Editions, 2023. This book is the result of a jubilant collaboration: artist and photgrapher Lee Shulman, creator of The Anonymous Project, asked Senegalese artist Omar Victor Diop to slip into the anonymous photographs in his collection of American slides from the 1950s and 1960s. These are images of ordinary celebrations, mainly of privileged white middle-class families sitting down to celebrate a birthday, at the beach, in the middle of a barbecue or in front of their gleaming bungalow. Orchestrated by Shulman, Diop enters worlds to which he was not invited, in the context of post-war segregationist America, as if he had always been part of the setting. Shulman and Diop offer a new way of stirring minds and questioning representations, with humour. Their performance acts as an eye-opener.

DÉJÀ VIEW, MARTIN PARR & THE ANONYMOUS PROJECT

Edited by Textuel, 2021. Déjà View is a playful and unusual visual conversation between two rich photographic archives. It pairs the whimsical, iconic images of Martin Parr with the slides of The Anonymous Project, which collects color photographs taken by amateurs from around the world. Mirror compositions, striking symmetry of bodies and poses, and the dialogue between flash-lit color on one side and Kodachrome saturation on the other electrify the viewer’s experience, evoking a delightful sense of déjà-vu. The magic works perfectly Martin Parr reveals the secret himself: “I enjoy amateur photography because its motivations are pure.”

MID-CENTURY MEMORIES

Edited by Taschen, 2019 The Anonymous Project reflects a time when, fifty years ago, people used film cameras much as we use smartphones today. They photographed their meals, holidays, loved ones, celebrations, and family reunions. Imagining the past lives of these strangers is the beauty and mystery of The Anonymous Project. The places, dates, and people may be unknown, but the stories are universally familiar.

THE HOUSE

Created by Lee Shulman and edited by Textuel, 2019 with the kind participation of the Agnes B Foundation & PICTO The House is the book that acompanied the exhibition in Alres and is an immersive look around the themes in the collection that make up family life. Often funny, moving and suprising, this is a unique look at life around the home. Forward by Natacha Wolinski.

COULDN'T CARE LESS, THOMAS LÉLU & LEE SHULMAN (AN ANONYMOUS PROJECT)

Edited by JBE Books, 2025. This book unveils a previously unpublished archive of over 90 photos from The Anonymous Project, each accompanied by a blank space. In a gusset at the back of the book, sticker sheets featuring more than 120 aphorisms and short phrases, handwritten by Thomas Lélu, invite readers to compose the book themselves, combining text and image as they see fit. And there’s no doubt about it: Thomas and Lee, the authors, couldn’t care less.

ON THE ROAD

Edited by Mini Hoxton Press, 2022. Take a journey along the highways of midcentury Europe and America. These enigmatic and entirely anonymous colour slides, shot between the 40s and 70s, capture vintage cars, family road trips, unplanned pit stops and endless vistas, conjuring the timeless exhilaration of the great open road

HEAD'S UP

Edited by Éditions Bessard, 2021 this project questions the notion of the failed photograph by bringing together deliberate close-ups, or “trophy images,” and unexpected happy accidents in which imperfection becomes beauty. By shifting attention away from faces and gazes, the images draw the viewer toward body language and gesture, revealing intimate details and unnoticed moments that emerge precisely because the image is not fully controlled.