Esther Bubley (February 16, 1921 – March 16, 1998) was an American
photographer
A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs.
Duties and types of photographe ...
who specialized in expressive photos of ordinary people in everyday lives. She worked for several agencies of the American government and her work also featured in several news and photographic magazines.
Life and career
Esther Bubley was born in
Phillips, Wisconsin
Phillips is a city and the county seat of Price County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,478 at the 2010 census.
History
The town of Phillips was platted in 1876 and named after Elijah B. Phillips, the general manager of the Wiscon ...
, the fourth of five children of Russian Jewish immigrants Louis and Ida
Bubley. In 1936, while Esther was a senior at Central High School in
Superior, Wisconsin
, native_name_lang = oj
, nickname =
, total_type =
, motto =
, image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg
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, ima ...
, the photo magazine ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' first hit the newsstands. Inspired by the magazine, and particularly by the pictures of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
produced by the
Farm Security Administration, she developed a passion for
photojournalism
Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...
and
documentary photography
Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life. It is typically undertaken as professional pho ...
. As editor-in-chief of the yearbook, she sought to emulate the style of ''Life.'' After high school, Bubley spent two years at Superior State Teachers College (now the
University of Wisconsin–Superior
The University of Wisconsin–Superior (UW–Superior or UWS) is a public liberal arts university in Superior, Wisconsin. UW–Superior grants associate, bachelor's, master's and specialist's degrees. The university enrolls 2,559 undergraduates ...
) before enrolling in the one-year photography program at the Minneapolis School of Art (now the
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) is a private college specializing in the visual arts and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MCAD currently enrolls approximately 800 students. MCAD is one of just a few major art schools to offer ...
).
After college in 1941, Bubley moved to
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
seeking work as a photographer. Failing to find a job in Washington, Bubley moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. During the 1941 Christmas season, she landed a position at ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' in New York, but she didn't like the work. Early in 1942, she returned to Washington when she was offered a job as a microfilmer for the
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...
.
In the fall of 1942,
Roy Stryker
Roy Emerson Stryker (November 5, 1893 – September 27, 1975) was an American economist, government official, and photographer. He headed the Information Division of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression, and launc ...
hired her as a darkroom assistant at the
Office of War Information
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...
(OWI), where his photographic unit had recently been transferred from the Farm Security Administration.
Library of Congress
/ref> With the encouragement of Stryker, and some of the more senior photographers, she moved to taking pictures for the OWI historical section, documenting life on the home front during the war. Her most challenging assignment was a noted series on the bus system in the Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
and South.
In late 1943, when Stryker left the OWI to work on a public relations project for the Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
Company (New Jersey), she accompanied him, along with other photographers, including Gordon Parks
Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and film director, who became prominent in U.S. documentary photojournalism in the 1940s through 1970s—particu ...
and John Vachon
John Felix Vachon (May 19, 1914 – April 20, 1975) was a world traveling American photographer. Vachon is remembered most for his photography working for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) as part of the New Deal and for contributions to ' ...
. The ''Bus Story'' series she produced for Standard Oil, a reprise of her earlier ''Bus Story'' for the OWI, earned the award for Best Picture Sequence in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
''/University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
School of Journalism "News Pictures of the Year" in 1948. During this period, she was briefly married to Edwin Locke, Stryker's administrative chief, but they soon divorced.
By 1947, Bubley was expanding her horizons beyond Stryker and Standard Oil. She began working for the Children's Bureau, a federal child welfare agency. Over the next several years, she contributed thousands of images to their files, and her work appeared on more than thirty covers of their journal ''The Child''.
In 1949, Bubley's photo essay on mental illness for the ''Ladies' Home Journal
''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...
'' was given the first place award for a feature in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''/University of Missouri School of Journalism contest, winning Bubley a second set of the Encyclopedia. She continued working for the ''Ladies' Home Journal'', producing a dozen photo stories for their celebrated series "How America Lives," which ran intermittently between 1948 and 1960.
In 1951, Bubley began to freelance for ''Life'', eventually contributing 40 photo stories, including two cover stories. Bubley was one of the first women to successfully support herself working as a freelance photographer for the major magazines.
In 1951, she also produced a series on the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital for Stryker, who was then establishing the Pittsburgh Photographic Library. Edward Steichen
Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography.
Steichen was credited with tr ...
, Directory of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
(MoMA), used 13 prints from this series in the 1952 exhibition ''Diogenese with a Camera''. He also mounted and displayed her contact sheets to show how she used every frame. This series led to medical themes becoming a major part of her portfolio. In 1953, she was hired by UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
and the French government to travel to Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
to photograph a program to treat trachoma
Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium ''Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...
, an infectious disease that causes blindness. Bubley entered a photo from this assignment in the international division of a contest sponsored by ''Photography'' magazine in 1954. She became the first woman to win first place, and she received a trophy depicting a male photographer.
In 1955, Steichen included her work in his monumental ''The Family of Man
''The Family of Man'' was an ambitious exhibition of 503 photography, photographs from 68 countries curated by Edward Steichen, the director of the New York City Museum of Modern Art's (MoMA) Department of Photography. According to Steichen, ...
'' exhibition.
In 1956, Pepsi-Cola
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
International hired Bubley to cover Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
for their company magazine ''Panorama''. In the mid-1960s, Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...
sent her around the world twice to make images for their corporate photographic library.
In the late 1960s, Bubley reduced her workload as sales of photographic magazines declined, and she wearied of the grueling travel schedule. She spent more time at home in New York City where she pursued projects of personal interest, producing two children's books about animals and a book featuring macro photography
Macro photography (or photomacrography or macrography, and sometimes macrophotography) is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects and living organisms like insects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is grea ...
of plants.
A devoted animal lover, she spent her mornings in Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
walking her dog, taking photographs, and making notes that she hoped to turn into a book about the park. In 1991 the Minneapolis College of Art and Design
The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) is a private college specializing in the visual arts and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MCAD currently enrolls approximately 800 students. MCAD is one of just a few major art schools to offer ...
awarded Bubley an honorary doctorate. She died in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, of cancer, on March 16, 1998.
In 2001 a retrospective exhibition of Bubley's work appeared at the UBS Art Gallery in New York City. In 2005 Aperture Foundation published a monograph about Bubley, ''Esther Bubley: On Assignment'' by photographic historian Bonnie Yochelson with Tracy A. Schmid, archivist for the Bubley Estate. In 2010, the Library of Congress published the monograph ''Fields of Vision: The Photographs of Esther Bubley''.
Selected exhibitions
* ''In and Out of Focus,'' Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, 1948.
* ''Six Women Photographers,'' Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, 1950.
* ''Diogenes with a Camera, Museum of Modern Art,'' New York, NY, 1952.
* ''Family of Man,'' Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
, New York, NY, 1955.
* ''Esther Bubley,'' Limelight Gallery, New York, NY, 1956.
* ''Out of the Forties,'' Amon Carter Museum
Amon may refer to:
Mythology
* Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra
* Aamon, a Goetic demon
People Momonym
* Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah
Given name
* Amon G. Carter (1879–1955), American ...
, Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accordin ...
, 1983.
* ''Documenting America, 1935–1943,'' Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
, Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
, 1988.
* ''On Assignment: Documentary Photographs from the 1930s and 1940s by Marion Post Wolcott and Esther Bubley,'' Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
, Chicago, IL
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, 1989.
* ''Esther Bubley: On Assignment, Photographs Since 1939,'' University at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
, Buffalo, NY
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, 1990.
* ''Photographs by Esther Bubley,'' Phillips Collection
The Phillips Collection is an art museum founded by Duncan Phillips and Marjorie Acker Phillips in 1921 as the Phillips Memorial Gallery located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Phillips was the grandson of James H. Laughlin ...
, Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
, 1995.
* ''The American Century: Art & Culture 1900–1950,'' Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...
, New York, NY, 1999.
* ''Esther Bubley: American Photojournalist,'' UBS Art Gallery, New York, NY
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, 2001.
* ''Breaking the Frame: Pioneering Women in Photojournalism,'' Museum of Photographic Arts
The Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) is a museum in San Diego's Balboa Park. First founded in 1974, MOPA opened in 1983.[San Diego, CA
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...](_blank)
, 2006.
* ''Children's Hospital 1951: Photographs by Esther Bubley,'' Frick Art & Historical Center
The Frick Pittsburgh is a cluster of museums and historical buildings located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and formed around the Frick family's nineteenth-century residence known as "Clayton". It focuses on the interpretation of th ...
, Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, 2009.
Awards
* Distinctive Merit, Art Directors Club, 1943.
* First awards from the University of Missouri School of Journalism
The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic comm ...
and the Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
, 1948 and 1949.
* Third Prize, Life magazine contest for young photographers, 1951.
* First Prize, Photography Magazine, International Contest, 1954.
* First Award, Art Directors Club, 1958.
* Honorary doctorate, Minneapolis College of Art and Design
The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) is a private college specializing in the visual arts and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MCAD currently enrolls approximately 800 students. MCAD is one of just a few major art schools to offer ...
, 1991.
Monographs
* ''Zoo pals: Big cats, great apes—a look at zoo life'', January 1, 1960
* ''How Puppies Grow'', 1971, Millicent E. Selsam (Author), Esther Bubley (Illustrator),
* ''How Kittens Grow'', 1973, Millicent E. Selsam,
* ''A Mysterious Presence: Macrophotography of Plants'', text by Percy Knauth, July 1979,
* ''Esther Bubley's World of Children in Photographs'', June 1982,
* ''Charlie Parker'', November 1995, Hank O'Neal (Text), Esther Bubley (Photographer),
* ''Esther Bubley: On Assignment'', April 2005, Bonnie Yochelson,
* ''Fields of Vision: The Photographs of Esther Bubley'', March 2010, Amy Pastan (series editor),
Further reading
* ''Black & White & Noir.'' Paula Rabinowitz, Columbia University Press
Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...
, New York, NY, 2002.
* ''The Faces of Photography: Encounters With 50 Master Photographers.'' Tina Ruisinger and Ted Croner, Edition Stemmle, Zürich, 2002.
* ''Making Connections: The Long-Distance Bus Industry in the USA.'' Margaret Walsh, Ashgate Publishing, 2000.
* ''Witness to the Fifties: The Pittsburgh Photographic Library, 1950–1953.'' Constance B. Schulz and Steven W. Plattner
Steven W. Plattner (born 1953) is an American photographic historian, author, curator, and printing manager.
Life
Born in Cincinnati, he enrolled at Macalester College and majored in American studies and geography, with an emphasis on American so ...
, eds. The University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
, Pittsburgh, PA, 1999.
* ''Out of the Forties.'' Nicolas Lemann, Texas Monthly Press, Austin, TX 1983, reprint Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998.
* ''A History of Women Photographers.'' Naomi Rosenblum
Naomi Rosenblum, PhD, (January 26, 1925 – February 19, 2021) was the author "of two landmark histories of photography, ''A World History of Photography'' (1984) and ''A History of Women Photographers'' (1994), and dozens of seminal articles and ...
, Abbeville Press, New York, NY, 1994.
* ''Documenting America 1935–1945.'' Carl Fleischauer and Beverly W. Brannan, eds. University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
and Library of Congress, Berkeley, CA, 1988.
* ''The Highway As Habitat: A Roy Stryker Documentation, 1943–1955.'' Ulrich Keller, University of Washington Press
The University of Washington Press is an American academic publishing house. The organization is a division of the University of Washington, based in Seattle. Although the division functions autonomously, they have worked to assist the universit ...
, Seattle, WA, 1986.
* ''Let Us Now Praise Famous Women: Women Photographers for the U.S. Government 1935 to 1944.'' Andrea Fisher, Pandora Press, New York, NY 1987.
* ''Roy Stryker, U.S.A. 1943-1950,.'' Steven W. Plattner, University of Texas Press, Austin, TX, 1983.
* ''In This Proud Land: America 1935–1943 As Seen in the FSA Photographs.'' Roy E. Stryker and Nancy Wood, New York Graphic Society Ltd., Greenwich, CT, 1973.
* '' Esther Bubley's World of Children in Photographs.'' Esther Bubley, Dover Publications, 1981.
External links
Esther Bubley official website
* ttps://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0012.html Women Come to the Front (Library of Congress Exhibition)covering her World War II career
The Photographers : Esther Bubley
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070617215715/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/issues/2004/march/indelible.php Private Eye ''Smithsonian Magazine'', March 2004* a brief documentary video :22
That's Pediatrics
documentary video about Bubley's Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh images 1:59
The Standard Oil (New Jersey) Collection
– A digital collection of photographs from the documentary project directed by Roy E. Stryker. Features many photographs by Esther
The Howard Greene Gallery Biography
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bubley, Esther
1921 births
1998 deaths
American photojournalists
Social realist artists
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
American women civilians in World War II
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
People from Phillips, Wisconsin
People of the United States Office of War Information
Artists from Wisconsin
20th-century American photographers
20th-century American women photographers
Jewish women artists
Jewish American artists
20th-century American Jews
Women photojournalists