By accident I came across Traplines and Trails, A Book of Master Trapping Methods, written in 1925 by E. J. Dailey, in a pile of free books at the local library. Certainly the charming appointment of the book with its childlike Edwardian typeface, soft vellum paper, and black and white photographs was seductive and disarming; the folksy tone of the language describing the “gentle art of trapping” and the “call of the trails” was a stark contrast to the grainy photos of animals caught live in leghold traps.

Disarming Language is a collection of digital prints based on photographs and text. This visual essay explores a genre of early 20th century literature and a philosophical contradiction that spans a century.