The big picture: the hollowing out of the American dream

In 1986, British photographer Michael Ormerod traveled to South Dakota to cover a motorbike rally, but he became more interested in Wall Drug, a cowboy-themed roadside complex that attracted a million visitors a year. Ormerod took a picture of a visitor to Wall Drug at dusk, which later became the cover of his 1993 book, States of America. The book captured the decline of the American dream during the Reagan years, showing the gap between the glamorous Hollywood films and magazines of the 1950s and 1960s and the harsh reality of life in the midwest. Jan Morris described Ormerod's pictures as "surpassingly brilliant" and noted that even the Greyhound bus and lovers by the Golden Gate seemed dispirited. Michael Ormerod: Vanishing Point is an exhibition showcasing his work, which will be held in London from September 26 to October 9. A new photobook, American Photographs, will be published by RRB Photobooks in October.