In 1941, the great American photographer Edward Weston accepted a commission to illustrate Leaves of Grass, by the great American poet Walt Whitman. A show opening April 21 at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts presents images from the project, all shot on a cross-country trip. Weston is known for tending more to the look of his photos than to their subjects. Under Whitman’s influence, however, content seems to come first. —Blake Gopnik
Photo: From 515 Madison Ave., New York City, 1941