Don Hogan Charles (September 9, 1938 – December 15, 2017) was an American photographer. He was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

staff photographer hired by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. In his four decades there, Charles photographed notable subjects including

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was married to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his death. As an advocate for African-American equality, she ...

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...

and Muhammad Ali.

Life and work

Charles was born "Daniel James Charles" in New York City on September 9, 1938, to James Charles and Elizabeth Ann Hogan who were immigrants from the Caribbean. He attended George Washington High School in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and went on to study engineering at City College of New York before dropping out to pursue photography. In 1964, after leaving City College, Charles joined

and remained there for 43 years, until he retired in 2007. Before joining The Times he worked as a freelance photographer. Charles's freelance work appeared in major international publications such as '' Der Spiegel'' and ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on '' L'Intransigeant ...

.'' His commercial clients included

Bill Blass William Ralph Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). Early ...

Oscar de la Renta Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta ...

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 ...

, and Eastern Air Lines. Charles' often devoted his attention in capturing the neighborhood of Harlem. In Harlem he would photograph the day-to-day life of the busy community. Charles' work is in the collections of MOMA and the

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...

. Among the iconic photos taken by Charles was one of human rights activist

holding an

M1 carbine The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced ...

while peering out a window. The photo, which Charles took for ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

'', became emblematic of the determination of Malcolm X to protect his family " by any means necessary".

Notable photographs

* ''USA, New York City'', 1964 – Photograph of

looking out of the window of his

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

home. File:Malcolmxm1carbine3gr.gif,

guards his family in an iconic ''

'' photo taken by Charles.

References

External links

* * 1938 births 2017 deaths 20th-century African-American artists 20th-century American photographers African-American photographers American photojournalists George Washington Educational Campus alumni Malcolm X Photographers from New York City The New York Times visual journalists {{US-photographer-stub