Although he previously depicted only famous and powerful people, renowned portrait, reportage, and fashion photographer Richard Avedon wished to broaden his portrayal of America to include uncelebrated people—whom he described as the hidden strength of the country. Impressed by this fresh perspective, the Carter commissioned Avedon from 1979 to 1985 to photograph the American West. More an expression of the photographer’s responses than an objective documentation of the region’s inhabitants, the resulting exhibition and publication, In the American West: Photographs by Richard Avedon (1985), inspired spirited discussion regarding the nature of portraiture and methods of interpreting the modern West.