In many parts of rural America, the population keeps shrinking. Low birth rates, aging residents, and evolving or shuttering industries pair with a trend of younger people migrating to metro areas for jobs and more diverse cultural amenities. As of 2022, the U.S. Census bureau estimates there are more than 15 million abandoned houses around the country, which have been left for myriad reasons ranging from foreclosures to structural issues to the death of inhabitants with no one else able or willing to shoulder the responsibility of a home and its furnishings.
Photographer Bryan Sansivero feels a strong pull to document and explore forgotten dwellings. His new book forthcoming from Artisan, America the Abandoned, explores deserted homes around the country in 200 striking images. From interiors strewn with garments, toys, knick-knacks, and decor to empty farmhouses gradually sagging into the prairie, he captures a spectral phenomenon ripe for storytelling.
Sansivero’s practice also revolves around portraiture, which lends itself to his approach of capturing these once-occupied houses. Although devoid of people, their enigmatic stories and vernacular personalities resonate through aged clapboard walls, overgrown shrubs, and forsaken belongings.
The images range from misty, haunting facades to everyday interiors. “These spaces are often littered with dust, mold, and creepy crawlies, and occasionally, they house one-of-a-kind relics: a tiger skin rug, a commemorative bicentennial piano, or a collection of mannequins,” the publisher says. “Taken together, this photographic collection serves as a time capsule—as an eerie reminder that everything we own is temporary and will eventually be forgotten.”
America the Abandoned is slated for release on October 14. Pre-order your copy on Bookshop, and check out more of Sansivero’s work on his website and Instagram.
