Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 1

Understanding America Through Art, Unit III

The Truth Tellers

Bow River, Blackfoot, circa 1900 – Edward Curtis

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 2

GLOSSARY

African Americans

citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Angle

refers to the specific location of the camera in relation to the subject; depending on the angle of the shot,

subjects may be seen centered, high, low or fading out of the photograph; effects the way the viewer

perceives the subject

Civil War (1861 – 1865)

the war between Southern slave states of the U.S. and the free states of the Northern U.S.

Depth

(depth of field) the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably

sharp focus in a photograph. To influence the attention paid to the subject of the photo, the photographer

may select elements of the photo and portray them out of focus to diminish their impact.

Emancipation Proclamation (1862, 1863)

the executive order issued the U.S. President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War, declaring the

freedom of all slaves in any state

Farm Security Administration

a government assistance group that helped poor farmers by purchasing their poor quality land, and by

resettling farmers on more productive soil

Focus

the clarity with which subjects and surrounding space is photographed

Great Depression (1929 – 1941 U.S.)

An economic recession that began on October 29, 1929, following the crash of the U.S. stock market. The

Great Depression originated in the United States, but quickly spread to Europe and the rest of the world.

Lasting nearly a decade, the Depression caused massive levels of poverty, hunger, unemployment and

political unrest.

Grayscale medium

one-color images which make distinctions between darker and lighter shades of gray in order to show

depth of subject or details

Hampton Institute Project

a photographic record by photographer Frances Johnston of the Hampton Institute, a school for the

education of blacks into skilled labor trades

Harlem Renaissance

also known as the Black Literary Renaissance and the New Negro Movement, it refers to the flowering of

African American cultural and intellectual life during the 1920s and 1930s

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath

inspired by the photographs of Dorothea Lange, a novel set during the Great Depression that focuses on

one poor family’s peril when driven from their home by drought, economic hardship and changes in the

agriculture industry; Steinbeck won The Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Light

in photography, the amount of exposure given to a subject, usually determined by the length of time the

shutter is open

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 3

Manifest Destiny (circa 1939) also known as Westward Movement

the historical belief that the U.S. was destined, even divinely ordained, to expand across the North

American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, conquering and colonizing all territories occupied by

Native Americans, Texans (then independent) or Mexicans

Native Americans

indigenous tribes of Indians living in North and South America

Romanticism

an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that stresses strong emotion as the source of appreciation;

romanticism opposes the scientific rationalization of nature

The Union Pacific Railroad

the nation’s first transcontinental railroad line, stretching from Omaha, Nebraska to the California-Nevada

line; the historical undertaking was photographed principally by William Jackson.

Trail of Tears

the forced relocation and movement of Native Americans in the United States from their homelands during

which many suffered from exposure, disease and starvation

Tuskegee Institute, Alabama

a school founded for the education and training of newly emancipated black slaves; first opened in 1881,

the principal photographer who helped publicize the success of the school’s students was Frances Johnston

Visual Arts

one-dimensional art forms that focus on the creation of works which are primarily visual in nature, such as

drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and filmmaking. Visual arts includes fine arts as well as

crafts.

Yellowstone National Park

located primarily in the state of Wyoming, and spreading into Montana and Idaho, the nation’s first national

park, so designated for its wildlife and many geothermal features; first photographed by William Jackson

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 4

Why Black and White Photography? According to some, photography has been our country’s greatest single contribution to the visual

arts. To understand this claim, we will take a look back beginning with its establishment on

American soil in the mid-nineteenth century, as the invention of cameras in France and Britain

appeared in the U.S.

Americans found the new art of photography immensely appealing. Here was an art form that

used technology together with an artful eye for composition. But most importantly, the result

was a truthful representation of historic events. Unlike artists’ renderings of romantic

landscapes, photos faithfully presented reality. We call these photographers The Truth Tellers.

This unit focuses on black and white (B&W) photography, distinguishing it from the color variety

for two reasons:

our American history of the mid to late 1800s is captured within the black and white

archives

the composition of a black and white photograph is a creation of angle, depth, light and

focus, a work of art

A. Do you like black and white photography? Do you have any family pictures in black and

white?

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Family moving in wagon, 1918. Anonymous.

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 5

B&W photos also hold a major position of importance in telling bracing stories such as:

the American westward movement

the Civil War and other atrocities

the developing western frontier

Native American culture

the emergence of immigrants and African Americans into the middle class

This unit features the works of six uniquely gifted Americans, and at photography from

landscapes to portraits, bringing the photographic perspective and the story of a developing

nation into clear focus.

B. What can you tell about who these people are? What are they doing?

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As you read about the American photographers, view their work with a critical eye and learn

to appreciate the grayscale medium. Ask yourself three questions about the photographs in this

unit:

1. Does this image help open your eyes to new thoughts and emotions?

2. Does this photograph help you see the world in a way you may not have seen it before?

3. Can you imagine this photograph in color using many different hues?

Negro men and women working in a field, Bayou Bourbeaux Plantation. Natchitoches, Louisiana

– Marion Walcott

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 6

Mathew B. Brady (1823 – 1896)

At the age of 24, Brady opened his own photographic studio in

New York City. An instant sensation, he coordinated the

efforts of a team of camera operators, chemists, re-touchers,

colorists and other assistants to keep pace with the crush of

famous political leaders and celebrities who flocked to his

studio to have their pictures taken.

Brady’s success spread to Washington D.C. where he

photographed every living president of the United States, from

John Quincy Adams to William McKinley. Brady’s photograph

of Abraham Lincoln was the most important, for cartoons

depicted presidential candidate Lincoln as an ugly country

bumpkin, Brady produced an image that presented him in the

most appealing, dignified manner. The photograph at left was

the first that Lincoln had taken showing him as a statesman fit

for the role of the presidency.

Delighted with the quality of his image, Lincoln distributed the

photograph throughout the country. At his election, he

declared that Brady had played a major role in promoting his

popularity.

C. How do you think the photograph of Lincoln tells the truth about the man?

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The Civil War Brought Home by Mathew Brady

Like no other graphic medium, photographs carried a burden of truth. Photographs of events had

superiority over lithographs (inked prints), engravings (cut grooves) or artists’ hand-drawn

illustrations, as newspapers were quick to determine, and based their print reproduction on them.

The most spectacular, sensational and

disheartening subject during the late 1800s

was the Civil War, photographed in graphic

realism by Brady and his associates. While

paintings and hand-drawn images of the war

effort employed romanticism, portraying

cleanly sketched hospitals and the heroic

struggle of soldiers who may be wounded but

not defeated, photographs captured a different

war image, that of death and disfigurement,

starvation of prisoners of war, and dirty,

crowded field hospitals.

Abraham Lincoln, 1860 – M. Brady

Dead Boy in the Road at Fredericksburg, 1863 – M. Brady

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 7

Oliver Wendell Holmes’s reaction to seeing a series of photographs after one great battle

represented this public enlightenment: “These wrecks of manhood thrown together in careless

heaps or ranged in ghastly rows for burial were alive but yesterday…It was so nearly like visiting

the battlefield …”.

Clearly photography brought home the horror and reality of war, in opposition to its pageantry.

In the photo on the right, the orderly, well-

regimented position of the commanders

surrounding the canon seems to have captured a

proud moment suitable for a recruitment poster.

But the reality of war, like the photograph

at left of nearly skeletal bodies of prisoners

of war, elicited fascination, revulsion and

anger. At the end of the war, images like

these were buried in archives to wait for

future generations’ viewing, free of personal

recollections of the atrocities of war.

The Peninsular Campaign, 1862. J. F. Gibson

Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 1884 - Anonymous

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 8

William Henry Jackson (1843 – 1942)

Will Jackson was no fan of Civil War or portrait photography, preferring subjects found in nature

from mountaintops. Jackson settled in Nebraska where he opened his first photographic studio.

The Union Pacific Railroad built the first transcontinental rail passage, and hired Jackson to

photograph the progress of the tracklayers. From this unique vantage point, his photos

impressed all who saw them, especially Ferdinand Hayden, who was appointed to survey vast

areas of the West that were still largely unknown to most U.S. citizens.

Colorado, 1891 – W. Jackson

Teller County, Colorado Tunnel, 1887

– W. Jackson

High Bridge in Loop, Colorado, 1828 – W. Jackson

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 9

Hayden, accompanied by Jackson, led an expedition into Wyoming’s Yellowstone region, one of

the most rugged areas of the western territories. Very few people other than Native Americans

had ever set foot there. Here were majestic, snowcapped mountains, enormous waterfalls and

canyons flanked by odd rock formations. Perhaps most amazing of all were the natural geysers

that sent fountains of water exploding high into the air. Springs of boiling water bubbled

continuously.

Jackson, tireless and undiscouraged by the challenge of lugging burdensome equipment , spent

many hours searching for the perfect scene, waiting for the light to cast the perfect illumination.

Imagine lugging three cameras, several tripods, boxes of chemicals, a portable developing tent

and huge glass negatives that often came loose from their cases strapped to the back of his

mule, crashing to the ground!

Old Faithful Geyser, 1883 – W. Jackson

Mammoth Hot Springs geothermal wonders, circa 1883 – W. Jackson

The Photographer’s Assistants, circa 1875 – Anonymous

D. What are some of

the challenges

Jackson must have

overcome as he

lugged more than 100

pounds of equipment

up a mountain on the

back of a mule?

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Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 10

Jackson’s remarkable photographs, rich in variety and awe-inspiring in content, were used to

persuade Congress to establish the Yellowstone Region as the country’s first national park. His

legacy as a landscape photographer was honored when the lake in Wyoming’s Grand Teton

National Park was named for him.

Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming – Anonymous

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 11

Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864 – 1952) and James Van Der Zee (1886 –

1983)

Two photographers who greatly influenced the rise of African Americans into the middle class

were Frances Johnston of Washington, D.C., and James Van Der Zee of Massachusetts. After the

Civil War and Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that would free the nation of slavery, African

Americans continued to suffer public prejudice ranging from bitter widespread racism, even

lynchings, to severely limited opportunities or indifference Popular and powerful writers,

cartoonists and theater shows, depicted them as lazy and unintelligent.

Frances Johnston was the nation’s first female

photojournalist, and accustomed to breaking down

barriers. The self-portrait at right shows her flaunting

social taboos of smoking, drinking and revealing her

ankles. She forged the way for women to enter and

be accepted into the male-dominated world of

photography in grand fashion by exhibiting works in

Russia and Paris, receiving wide acclaim.

Her success led to a request from General Samuel

Chapman Armstrong, founder of the Hampton Institute

in Virginia, to have Johnston photograph uneducated

young African American students training to become

skilled laborers. Hampton students were taught to be

carpenters, cobblers, milliners, cooks, and trades

people of all kinds. Skills taught at Hampton offered

black students their best chance of working their way

out of poverty and building productive lives.

Johnston’s photographs of Hampton Institute Project students portrayed a compelling image,

capturing the student’s earnest and dignified approach to their studies.

Frances Benjamin Johnston self portrait, 1896

Students at Hampton Institute learn carpentry – F. Johnston

E. What does this photograph tell about

African Americans in the 1890s?

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Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 12

Johnston traveled through the Virginia countryside taking photographs of black families. These

remarkable portraits captured dignity despite overwhelming, pervasive poverty.

Another important and similar request came from Booker

T. Washington, the most famous African American of his

time and head of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

Graduates of the Tuskegee and Hampton Institutes were

photographed to show that education led to success.

Van Der Zee was a renowned African-American

photographer skilled in portraits, who created

pictures that told of personalities, character and

conviction. In Harlem, he applied his skills to

photographing influential black writers, artists,

poets, composers, actors and musicians who

gathered in Harlem, the cultural capital of black

America in New York.

F. Choose one of the photographs on this page and briefly describe the truth you see.

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A meal between African Americans in the Deep South, 1900

– F. Johnston

Black family with dog – F. Johnston

Education led to success – F. Johnston

Personality portrait – J. Van Der Zee

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 13

The gathering of talented and influential blacks into

the New York area became known as the Harlem

Renaissance, providing blacks unprecedented

independence and freedom. Van Der Zee saw his

opportunity to reveal blacks in a more cultured and

successful lifestyle than was commonly portrayed. His

studio, adorned with expensive chairs, tables, drapes,

floral arrangements and richly illustrated backdrops,

was an elegant setting where he could show his

subjects as distinct and unique personalities.

Recognizing the dramatic and powerful ability

of a single portrait to tell stories, Van Der Zee

would not “snap his shutter” until she was

completely satisfied that the image captured

exactly what he wanted it to say.

The stereotype-busting images produced by Frances Johnston and James Van Der Zee helped to

provide important cultural information to the new American society. Their photographs gave

African Americans an historical record of progress as they climbed out of slavery, a journey that

saw the first African American elected to the presidency in 2008, more than a century later.

Harlem couple on their wedding day with ghost-

like image of child on left – J. Van Der Zee

Students in Harlem school – J. Van Der Zee

G. What does the photograph at

left show about education in

Harlem?

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Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 14

Edward Sherrif Curtis (1868 – 1952)

As the American westward movement claimed the territory stretching to the Pacific, it claimed

the Native Americans living there as well, driving them into groups that grew smaller and

smaller. The most extensive effort to capture Native American lifestyle in pictures was

accomplished by Edward Curtis, who recorded legends and folklore within his 2,200 images!

Curtis’s deeply sympathetic attitude toward the vanishing tribes was evident in his traditional

photographs.

Curtis’s photographs captured images that portrayed a deep agony, at once empathetic, proud

and forlorn.

H. On the Trail of Tears, can you imagine the pain of losing your whole way of life as you were

moved to a reservation? What do these photographs seem to say?

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Princess Angeline, daughter of Suquamish chief

Sealth (Seattle) – E. Curtis

Hupa mother and child, 1924 – E. Curtis

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 15

Chief Joseph of Nez Perce, 1908. – E. Curtis

Curtis had an ambitious desire to capture in photographs a permanent memorial to a race of

peoples falling victim to the intrusion of the white man’s “Manifest Destiny,” the belief among

many that justified the expansion of (white) civilization resulting in the demise of Native

American people and culture. Some sources estimate the population of indigenous people

between 8.4 million – 112.5 million at the time of Columbus’s voyage in 1492. During the

western expansion of the 1800s, populations plummeted due to:

diseases

cavalry

the developing towns and civilization

Jackson’s project took thirty years to complete, and

includes photographs of more than 80 different

Indian groups - every major Native American tribe

west of the Mississippi. His 20-volume work, The

North American Indian, stands today as the

definitive history of our tragic loss. Without his

photographs, what would we know about the

disappearance of the Native American way of life?

I. How do the photographs of the Native Americans capture the truth of history for you?

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Riders in Canyon de Chelly, AZ, 1910. – E. Curtis

“I am tired; my heart is sick and

sad. From where the sun now

stands, I will fight no more

forever.”

- Chief Joseph

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 16

Dorothea Lange (1865 – 1965)

Dorothea Lange ran a successful portrait studio in

San Francisco, catering to rich clients who helped

her business prosper. After the stock market crash

of 1929, she became increasingly aware of the

predicament of the plight of people who found

themselves suddenly homeless and out of work.

She became bored with photographing the rich,

turning instead to pictures of street people, finding

her true purpose in using her camera to draw

attention to the heartbreaking situations of those

caught up in the Great Depression.

American cities were feeling the full effect of the collapse of the stock market, but in the southern

plains states another type of disaster was taking place. For two full years, a 97-million-acre

section of the country had gone without rain. Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Colorado and New

Mexico literally turned to dust. As the dust was lifted by prairie winds, storms formed blowing

away the topsoil, turning the entire region into a gigantic dust bowl.

Farmers with no soil left to farm, took to the

road and headed west to California and Oregon

in search of work, picking crops for very low

wages. Lange took a position with the Farm

Security Administration, photographing Dust

Bowl victims in twenty-two states.

Dorothea Lange with camera, circa 1920

Oklahoma family reaches California, 1953 -= D. Lange

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 17

To get the type of images Lange desired, she first had to earn the trust of the Dust Bowl victims.

She found migrant workers eager to talk to each other, and found a way to meet them on

common ground. Lange’s photographs from the fields and camps captured the fear and despair

of her subjects, and also their dignity and courage as they endured the conditions forced upon

them.

One Lange’s most famous photos is Migrant Mother (below, right) that was widely published in

newspapers and magazines, drawing public attention to the misfortunes of people through no

fault of theirs. As a result of her photos, local and national government officials erected migrant

camps with running water and toilet facilities, sorely lacking in the places where the migrants

were first forced to live.

The photos had other effects as well: government agricultural experts educated southwest

farmers in the science of crop rotation and taught them to plant crops that were beneficial to the

soil. John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath, one of the most powerful books ever published

about the human condition, being so moved by Lange’s photos. Photographers all over the world

learned the art of photojournalism, taking pictures to reveal conditions that need correcting.

In Closing

The Truth Tellers, black and white photographers of the mid 1800s, took society into a new

realm, touching on political, social and economic change like no other art or craft had done.

Capturing the poor in dignity or the undignified in leadership brought ideas that would change

minds. Whether showing the stark reality of war’s dead and dying, the agony in the faces of

displaced people, or the splendor of an unfolding western vista, the black and white

photographers of this era told a truthful story of American history, devastating and wonderful.

Migrant Mother, 1936. D. Lange

Family with five children walking on highway, Oklahoma, 1935 – D. Lange

Understanding America Through Art SACSCE HS Subj 6-09 Unit III, page 18

REFERENCES for ADDITIONAL RESEARCH

Unit III, Truth Tellers

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/photos/30292013

http://gigaweb.brigantine.atlnet.org

www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/maps/index.html www.wikipedia.com

Sandler, Martin W. America Through the Lens.

Orvell, Miles. American Photography.

Lemagny, Jean-Claude; Rouillé, André. A History of Photography.