LIFE AND SIX WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS
Six pioneering women whose photographs for “LIFE” magazine skillfully captured events on a quickly evolving world stage will be the subject of Greenwich Historical Society’s new exhibition to debut March 6. These photographers enabled the public “to see life, to see the world, to eyewitness great events,” as described by LIFE magazine founder and editor-in-chief Henry Luce.
LIFE: Six Women Photographers, organized by the New York Historical Socety, features iconic images from these talented women who helped create modern photojournalism through their work as featured in the pages of LIFE magazine. On view through July 7, the exhibition presents more than 70 photographs by Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971), Marie Hansen (1918-1969), Martha Holmes (1923-2006), Lisa Larsen (ca. 1925-1959), Nina Leen (ca. 1909-1995) and Hansel Mieth (1909-1998).
“We are thrilled to showcase the works of these talented photographers who were on the vanguard of a transformative change in how 20th Century Americans received and understood global cultural and political events,” said Maggie Dimock, curator of exhibitions and collections at Greenwich Historical Society. “This insightful exhibition offers a glimpse into how each of these remarkable women used their camera to capture topics that dominated American discourse through the last century, including U.S. industrial strength, the role of women and the family in modern American society, race relations, World War II, labor movements and the Cold War.”
A long-time Greenwich resident, Henry Luce (1898 – 1967) was convinced that American political, economic and cultural power would, and should, dominate the era and that photojournalism, or “photo essays” as he coined them, could effectively shape America as an international power, inspiring its people, in his words, “to live and work and fight with vigor and enthusiasm.” For decades, Americans saw the world through the lens of the photographers at LIFE, and the magazine’s innovative photo essays became the publication’s trademark.
Of the 101 photographers on staff at LIFE during the magazine’s run as a weekly, only six full-time photographers were women. LIFE: Six Women Photographers highlights the work of these photographers while providing insight into the process through which they worked with editors to create visual stories, through the inclusion of photographs, vintage prints, copy prints and contact sheets. Published and unpublished photographs along with select memos, correspondence and other items from “Time Inc.” Records show the editing process behind the final, published stories.
A series of lectures, workshops and discussions, film screenings and other activity related to the exhibition will be presented by Greenwich Historical Society throughout the duration of the exhibition. The full program schedule is available online: https://greenwichhistory.org/life-six-women-photographers/.
The Greenwich Historical Society was founded in 1931 to preserve and interpret Greenwich history to strengthen the community’s connection to its past, to each other and to the future. The circa 1730 National Historic Landmark Bush-Holley House witnessed the American Revolution, holds the memory of enslaved men, women and children and became the site of Connecticut’s first American Impressionist art colony from 1890 to 1920. Its landscape and gardens are restored based on documentation from the site’s Impressionist era. The campus also includes a nationally accredited museum, library and archives, a museum store, café and a community education center. Greenwich Historical Society educates thousands of school children annually and connects visitors to the history of this globally influential community through exhibitions, lectures, programs and events. It receives no town funding and relies on donations and grants to continue its work in education and preservation. Learn more at greenwichhistory.org.