Homer Page
Encyclopedia
Homer Page was an American documentary photographer
whose most famous photographs were taken in New York City in 1949-1950, after he received a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation
.
Page studied art and social psychology at the University of California
, graduating in 1940. He worked in the shipyards in the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area durinhttp://lookingaround.blogs.time.com/2009/03/13/homer-page-lost-and-found/g World War II
. His neighbor and later his mentor, photographer Dorothea Lange
, encouraged him to take up photography in 1944. By 1947, he was featured in a major show at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York.
Page received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1949 and spent a year documenting modern urban culture, primarily by photographing people on the streets of New York City. Most of his subjects appear unaware of his presence.
Some of Page's photographs were included in Edward Steichen
's landmark Family of Man exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955. His photographs appeared in publications including Harper's Magazine
, and books such as The Little World of Laos. In 1966, he published a collection of his photographs, titled Puerto Rico: The Quiet Revolution.
Page produced several photo stories for the World Health Organization
from 1957 to 1960. Most of his photographs focused on health in the United States, but he also traveled to Latin America, Asia and Africa to photograph topics including rural health, yaws
and trachoma
.
The bulk of Page's career was spent as a magazine photographer, and, as a result, few of his photographs were in private hands and his work was largely forgotten by the time of his death in 1985, at the age of 67.
Keith F. Davis, Curator of Photography at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
, while researching and writing the first edition of An American Century of Photography, published in 1995, became aware of Page’s non-magazine work. Davis searched for Page’s photographs, leading to the discovery of a "lost" photographic treasure. After negotiations with the Page estate, Nelson-Atkins purchased about 100 prints for the Museum’s Hallmark Photographic Collection, including many that were one of a kind.
Documentary photography
Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle significant and historical events. It is typically covered in professional photojournalism, but it may also be an amateur, artistic, or academic pursuit...
whose most famous photographs were taken in New York City in 1949-1950, after he received a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
.
Page studied art and social psychology at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, graduating in 1940. He worked in the shipyards in the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area durinhttp://lookingaround.blogs.time.com/2009/03/13/homer-page-lost-and-found/g World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His neighbor and later his mentor, photographer Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange was an influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration...
, encouraged him to take up photography in 1944. By 1947, he was featured in a major show at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York.
Page received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1949 and spent a year documenting modern urban culture, primarily by photographing people on the streets of New York City. Most of his subjects appear unaware of his presence.
Some of Page's photographs were included in Edward Steichen
Edward Steichen
Edward J. Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. He was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Steichen also contributed the logo design and a custom typeface...
's landmark Family of Man exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955. His photographs appeared in publications including Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
, and books such as The Little World of Laos. In 1966, he published a collection of his photographs, titled Puerto Rico: The Quiet Revolution.
Page produced several photo stories for the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
from 1957 to 1960. Most of his photographs focused on health in the United States, but he also traveled to Latin America, Asia and Africa to photograph topics including rural health, yaws
Yaws
Yaws is a tropical infection of the skin, bones and joints caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum pertenue...
and trachoma
Trachoma
Trachoma is an infectious disease causing a characteristic roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. Also called granular conjunctivitis and Egyptian ophthalmia, it is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world...
.
The bulk of Page's career was spent as a magazine photographer, and, as a result, few of his photographs were in private hands and his work was largely forgotten by the time of his death in 1985, at the age of 67.
Keith F. Davis, Curator of Photography at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its neoclassical architecture and extensive collection of Asian art....
, while researching and writing the first edition of An American Century of Photography, published in 1995, became aware of Page’s non-magazine work. Davis searched for Page’s photographs, leading to the discovery of a "lost" photographic treasure. After negotiations with the Page estate, Nelson-Atkins purchased about 100 prints for the Museum’s Hallmark Photographic Collection, including many that were one of a kind.