Sol Libsohn (February 5, 1914 - January 21, 2001) was a self-taught, documentary photographer.

Biography

After graduating from

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

, he joined the Film and Photo League where he earned his living documenting paintings. In 1936, he co-founded the

Photo League The Photo League was a cooperative of photographers in New York who banded together around a range of common social and creative causes. Founded in 1936, the League included some of the most noted American photographers of the mid-20th century amon ...

with

Sid Grossman Sid Grossman (June 25, 1913 in Manhattan – December 31, 1955 in Provincetown) was an American photographer, teacher, and social activist. Life Sid Grossman was the younger son of Morris and Ethel Grossman. He attended the City College of ...

.Sol Libsohn bio at The Jewish Museum
/ref> Libsohn was an important teacher at the League as well as a member and leader of numerous production groups. In addition to freelance work for numerous magazines, he also was employed by

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 ...

for the documentary project of

Standard Oil Company 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 ...

of New Jersey (later Exxon), the

Federal Art Project The Federal Art Project (1935–1943) was a New Deal program to fund the visual arts in the United States. Under national director Holger Cahill, it was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administrati ...

, and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, where he taught art and photography to disadvantaged youth in the Summer Program. Libsohn was a personal acquaintance of

Romana Javitz Romana Javitz (January 28, 1903–January 1980) was an American artist, librarian, and Superintendent of the Picture Collection at the New York Public Library. Biography Early life Romana Javitz was born in Russia to Polish parents and imm ...

, head of

The New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...

’s Picture Collection from 1929 to 1968, who sought out his work for the Library. Libsohn died on January 21, 2001 in Princeton, NJ.

Exhibitions

* ''The Family of Man'', Jan 24–May 8, 1955, The Museum of Modern Art, New York * ''Image of Freedom'', Oct 29, 1941–Feb 1, 1942, The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Collections

* Museum of Modern Art * International Center for Photography * Harvard Art Museums * New York Public Library

References

External links

Sol Libsohn (George Eastman House)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Libsohn, Sol 20th-century American photographers 1914 births 2001 deaths