Matthew Lewis (born March 8, 1930)
[ is an American ]photojournalist
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 ...
who won a Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for his 1975 work with ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''.
Biography & Career
Lewis was born in McDonald, Pennsylvania
McDonald is a borough in Allegheny and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 2,056 at the 2020 census. Of this, 1,661 were in Washington County, and 395 were in A ...
and later moved to Washington, DC in 1947. He attended college at Howard University in 1947 for a year and then continued at the University of Pittsburgh the next year before he dropped out. From 1949–1952, Lewis served as a hospital corpsman for the United States Navy. Lewis received his first job at Morgan State University where he worked in the audio visual department. Lewis freelanced for the '' Baltimore Afro-American'' before getting a job with the Washington Post in 1965 as a staff photographer. He was eventually promoted to assistant managing editor of photography. where he covered Civil Rights marches, Super Bowls, and John F. Kennedy's funeral. He was the first African-American photographer to work for the Washington Post. Lewis retired in 1990 and moved with his wife Jeannine to Thomasville, North Carolina. He began working at the ''Thomasville Times
''For the daily newspaper of Thomasville, GA, see Thomasville Times-Enterprise.''
''Thomasville Times'' is a bi-weekly newspaper that primarily covers Thomasville, North Carolina, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA) ...
'' in 1990 to keep himself busy.
Awards
In 1975, Lewis was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography "for his photographs in color and black and white." These photos portrayed various aspects of "the Washington lifestyle." Lewis won first place in the White House News Photographers Association competitions in 1968 and 1971 In 2010, the International Civil Rights Center & Museum honored Lewis during a special tribute and public reception.
References
Further reading
* Coar, Valencia Hollins. ''A Century of black photographers, 1840-1960'' xhibition catalog Providence, RI: Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
, 1983.
External links
"Documenting the Riots", ''The Washington Post'', April 3, 2008
"Matthew Lewis", ''Washington Photo Store''
2011 PBS Interview with Matthew Lewis
See also
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Matthew
1930 births
American photographers
Morgan State University alumni
Living people
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography winners
Date of birth missing (living people)
People from McDonald, Pennsylvania