William Albert Allard (born 1937) is an American

documentary photographer 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 ...

who worked in color from 1964. He was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

in 1994, the Joseph A Sprague Memorial Award from the

National Press Photographers Association The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is an American professional association made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field. Founded in 1946, the organization is based in at ...

in 2002, the Award for Excellence from the

University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication The Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication is a journalism school at the University of Minnesota that offers programs in journalism, strategic communication and mass communication. It is located on the Minneapolis campus. It houses ...

in 2004, and the Figaro Magazine Lifetime Achievement Visa d'or Award in 2019.

Biography

Allard was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota. The son of a Swedish immigrant, he studied at the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts and the University of Minnesota with the hope of becoming a writer. Transferring to the University of Minnesota after only a year, he enrolled in the journalism program. He graduated in 1964 with a double major in journalism and photography. The same year, looking for work in photojournalism, Allard joined ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' in Washington, D.C. as an intern. He worked exclusively in color. His most notable work as an intern included his photographs of the Amish for an article entitled "Amish Folk: Plainest of Pennsylvania's Plain People," (published in August 1965). One of his photographs from this collection was sent aboard the ''

Voyager 1 ''Voyager 1'' is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. Launched 16 days after its twin ''Voyager 2'', ''Voya ...

'' space probe. His work led to a full-time position with the magazine. In 1967, after just two years, Allard resigned from his position at ''National Geographic,'' feeling that he was unable to contribute to the issues of the time, such as the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

in a way that seemed possible at other magazines such as ''

Life Magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

.'' He continued to do assignments as a freelance photographer for ''National Geographic.'' In 1982, Allard published his first book, ''Vanishing Breed,'' a photographic essay documenting the "old American west". In 1989 he published his second work, a retrospective of his work entitled ''The Photographic Essay.'' He continued to work for ''National Geographic,'' eventually taking up his second full-time position at the magazine.

Publications

*''Vanishing Breed: Photographs of the Cowboy and the West''. Boston: Little, Brown, 1982. . With a foreword by

Thomas McGuane Thomas Francis McGuane III (born December 11, 1939) is an American writer. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors. He is a member of the American A ...

. *''The Photographic Essay''. American Photographer Master Series. Bullfinch / Little, Brown, 1989. By Erla Zwingle and Russell Hart. . With an introduction by Sean Callahan. *''A Time We Knew: Images of Yesterday in the Basque Homeland''. University of Nevada Press, 1990. . *''Time at the Lake: a Minnesota Album''. Duluth, MN: Pfeifer-Hamilton, 1997. . *''Portraits of America''. Washington, D.C.:

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

, 2001. . With a foreword by

Richard Ford Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer. His best-known works are the novel '' The Sportswriter'' and its sequels, '' Independence Day'', ''The Lay of the Land'' and ''Let Me Be Frank With You'', and t ...

. *''Five Decades: A Retrospective''. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2010. . With a foreword by William Kittredge. *''Paris – Eye of the Flâneur''. Lammerhuber, 2017. .

Awards

*1994: Outstanding Achievement Award from the

*2002: Joseph A Sprague Memorial Award from the

*2004: Award for Excellence from the

*2019: Figaro Magazine Lifetime Achievement Visa d'or Award, from Visa pour l'Image, Perpignan, France

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allard, William Albert 1937 births Living people People from Minneapolis University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumni Photographers from Minnesota Documentary photographers American photojournalists