[en] In an experiment in the broad band photon beam at Fermilab diffractive production of 2π^+- and 4π^+- states from Be, Al, Cu, and Pb targets was observed. The 2π data is dominated by the rho(770) and the 4π^+- is dominated by the rho'(1500). The energy dependence of rho photoproduction from Be was measured, and no evidence seen for energy variation of the forward cross section in the range 30 to 160 GeV. The forward cross section is consistent with its average value dsigma/dt/⁰ = 3.42 +- 0.28 μb/GeV² over the entire range. For the rho' a mass of 1487 +- 20 MeV and a width of 675 +- 60 MeV were obtained. All quoted errors are statistical. A standard optical model analysis of the A dependence of the rho and rho' photoproduction yields the following results. f/sub rho'/²/f/sub rho/² = 3.7 +- 7; sigma/sub rho'//sigma/sub rho/ = 1.05 +- 0.18. Results for the photon coupling constants are in good agreement with GVMD and the e⁺e- storage ring results. The approximate equality of the rho--nucleon and rho'--nucleon total cross sections is inconsistent with the diagonal version of GVMD and provides strong motivation for including transitions between different vector mesons in GVMD. 50 references