This weekly post has everything you need for completing this week’s self-paced content and readings, plus an outline at the end for what’s covered during class meetings. This week is about the “Golden Age of Photojournalism” in the United States and how innovations in visual narratives still influence visual culture today.
The “Golden Age” of Photojournalism
Other eras have also been called the “golden age” of photojournalism, but in the United States this term is often associated with the era when photojournalism dominated visual culture from the 1930s through the 1950s. Before that, cameras were large and it was still costly and difficult to print photos well. After that, photography had to compete with television and no longer had such a strong influence on visual narratives.
LIFE Magazine is largely credited with the emergence of the photo essay, in which a series of related photos tell a larger narrative. This week’s reading list includes “Country Doctor,” one of the better-known LIFE photo essays. As described in this article:
“When Life first appeared, the US was recovering from the Great Depression and true to its mission, the magazine was determined to show to its mostly middle-class white audience life as millions across the country were experiencing it. [Founder Henry Luce] gave as much prominence to images as to words, condensing text into captions for pages of photos.”
Watch this half-hour video excerpt from a longer BBC documentary about LIFE magazine:
Review & Reflection
- Why was LIFE magazine so popular? Why did it eventually lose popularity?
- How did photography shape ideas about “America” during the 1940s through the 1960s?
- What are some ways LIFE magazine took on difficult, painful or controversial topics? In what ways did it reinforce the status quo or present a biased view?
‘The Americans’
A different perspective on the same era is “The Americans,” a photo project by Robert Frank. He was fascinated by the U.S. and American culture, and became involved with the Beat Generation poets and artists who challenged popular ideas about post-war American culture. Like many Europeans, Franks was struck by America’s highways and open spaces, as well as the contrasts in society.
These days, there is a growing movement in photojournalism to push back against the “outsider” perspective since this has so often perpetuated stereotypes and power imbalances in the past. But “The Americans” continues to be a meaningful example of the value that can also come from an outside perspective. This article quotes Sarah Leen, former director of photography at National Geographic:
“We need photographers from the rest of the world to come here and photograph the U.S. Without cross-pollination, Robert Frank would never have photographed ‘The Americans.’ We need that fresh look at another culture by photographers who bring no baggage to the story, but we also need people photographing their own backyard, who speak the language and understand the customs.”
Watch this video interview with Robert Frank toward the end of his life:
There is a second part of this interview about images from “The Americans,” which is recommended but not required.
Review & Reflection
- How did an outsider perspective benefit Robert Frank’s photography? Is his work affectionate or critical of the U.S., or both?
- How do his photographs indicate a particular time or place? What compositions techniques does he use?
- What does he say he learned from Alan Ginsburg and other writers associated with the Beat movement?
Monday
• Preview of week’s materials
Wednesday
• Photo discussion: Enigma
• Richard Throssel and Horace Poolaw
• Questions about the weekly assignment
Friday
• Discussion: LIFE magazine and visual culture (recommended history reading, useful LIFE repository)