Wall Batterton’s publication 10 April 1932—named for the artist’s date of birth—creates, through the assemblage of images, text, and various cultural and familial ephemera, a picture of the author’s life up to the point of publication. Through scans of family photographs, journal entries, greeting cards, birth and marriage certificates, and death notices, Batterton familiarizes the reader with the shape and texture of his life, from childhood and adolescence, through higher education and military service, all the while establishing the trajectory of his artistic development. Interspersed among baby portraits, class pictures, and family vacations are images of Batterton’s work in ceramics, collage, photography, and painting, including journalistic coverage of his work, allowing a perspective exterior to the artist’s own to give voice to Batterton’s creative output.
As Batterson remarks in his dedication, 10 April 1932 is “A very personal collection of recordings for my family, my friends, my wife, my son and especially for me.”