Great Black and Photographers II

September 22, 2017

Great Black and Photographers II

Imogen Cunningham

Imogen, born on April 12, 1883, lived in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in Washington. As a child, her and her family struggled with money. She learned that not every came easy. As a child she studied painting, and drawing. That then inspired her to continue her work in that subject. In 19001 she bought her own camera, through mail.

She decided to go to the nearest college, the University of Washington, in Seattle. They did not offer a photography class, so she decided to enroll in a degree for chemistry. She could not afford it, so she made lantern slides for the botany department, and she then worked for Edward Curtis. He took photographs of American Indians.

In 1906, her first photographs were released. She received a $500 grant to go study photography in Dresden, Germany. After a year, Imogen came home, and she opened her own photography studio. Many were impressed with her being one of the first women to open a commercial photography studio.

In 1915, She married Roi Partridge, had a child. They then had twins. Shortly after, Roi got a job offer in San Francisco, and then moved to San Francisco, in 1917. Roi started teaching at a college in Oakland, and they had to move again.

She had to close down her studio and turned her cameras to her family. She would focus on flowers and close-ups, but she didn't really have time for anything else. She then decided to change her style to close-ups, abstracts, and more sensual, than basic. Imogen's friend circle expanded, and her co workers, decided to appreciate her more.

In 1934, Imogen and Roi divorced. Her children were almost adults so, she could accept a job at Vanity Fair magazine. For a job trip, Imogen traveled to New York. She came up with the term "Stolen pictures." They were pictures of the city streets, and the environment. This steered her towards a new direction, or style. She said that she never wanted to be a reporter. She said that it invades people's space, and she was not into that. She was more interested in looking at the natural world, and how it works, rather than interrupting what was going on.

After her job at Vanity Fair, she worked at LIFE, US Camera, Sunset, House and Garden and Fortune.

In the 1930's, Cunningham's work became extremely popular compared to other work. And in the 1950's, her best work was produced. It was of street art, and pictures. It became very popular.

Imogen was going to publish a book in 1977, which would publish some of her last photos. The book was, "After Ninety". Later, Imogen Cunningham died at the age 93 on June 24,1976.