Arthur Rothstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arthur Rothstein
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Rothstein in 1938
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| Born | July 17, 1915 New York City, US
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| Died | November 11, 1985 (aged 70) |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (B.A.) |
| Occupation | Photojournalist and teacher |
| Known for | Photography |
Arthur Rothstein (born July 17, 1915 – died November 11, 1985) was a famous American photographer. He was known as one of the best photojournalists in the United States. For over 50 years, his photos helped people learn, think, and feel.
Contents
Life as a Photographer
Arthur Rothstein was born in Manhattan, New York City. His parents were Jewish immigrants. He grew up in the Bronx. In 1935, he finished college at Columbia University. There, he helped start the University Camera Club. He also worked as the photography editor for the school yearbook.
After college, during the Great Depression, Rothstein went to Washington D.C. One of his old professors, Roy Stryker, invited him. Stryker was setting up a special photo team.
Starting with the Government
In 1935, Rothstein helped Stryker with a book about American farming. The book was never published. But soon, Stryker hired Rothstein to work for the Resettlement Administration (RA). This was a government group created to help poor farmers. Rothstein's job was to set up the darkroom for their photo team.
Arthur Rothstein was the first photographer sent out by Roy Stryker. For the next five years, he took pictures of rural America. Other famous photographers joined him. These included Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks. Their job was to show how poor people in the countryside lived.
The Resettlement Administration later became the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in 1937. During World War II, the FSA became part of the Office of War Information (OWI).
Rothstein's photos from these five years show what the government was trying to do. One of his first tasks was to photograph farmers in Virginia. They were being moved to make way for the Shenandoah National Park. He also traveled to the Dust Bowl and to cattle ranches in Montana.
Gee's Bend Project
In 1937, Rothstein went to a place called Gee's Bend, Alabama. This was a community of tenant farmers. Roy Stryker thought it would make a great story for Life magazine.
The people of Gee's Bend were seen in two ways by the government. Some thought they were isolated and lived a very old way of life. Others saw them as victims of slavery and the unfair farming system. The government hoped that if these farmers could be helped, it would show their programs worked.
Rothstein's photos of Gee's Bend did not show the people as victims. Instead, they showed people doing everyday things. The pictures focused on spring plowing and home life. Even though their homes were simple log cabins, Rothstein made them look beautiful. His careful photos gave dignity to the people he pictured.
A long article about Gee's Bend appeared in the New York Times Magazine in August 1937. It used eleven of Rothstein's pictures. The story praised the government's work there.
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Annie Pettway Bendolph carrying water. Gee's Bend, Alabama. April 1937.
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The former home of the Pettways. Gee's Bend, Alabama. April 1937.
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Woman on the Pettway Plantation.
Later Career
In 1940, Rothstein started working for Look magazine. But he soon left to join the US Army as a photographer. He worked in China, Burma, and India during the war. After the war, he stayed in China. He worked for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. He documented the Great Famine and helped Holocaust survivors in Shanghai.
In 1947, Rothstein returned to Look magazine. He became the Director of Photography. He stayed there until the magazine closed in 1971. In 1972, Rothstein joined Parade magazine. He worked there until he passed away.
Rothstein wrote many magazine articles and columns. He also wrote nine books. His photographs are displayed in museums all over the world. They have been shown in many exhibitions.
He also taught photography at several universities. These included the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He enjoyed helping young photographers learn. Some of his students became famous, like Stanley Kubrick.
Arthur Rothstein won over 35 awards for his photojournalism. He was also a judge for the Pulitzer Prize. He helped start the American Society of Magazine Photographers (ASMP). Arthur Rothstein died on November 11, 1985, in New Rochelle, New York.
Personal Life
Arthur Rothstein's parents were Isadore and Nettie Rothstein. In 1947, he married Grace Goodman. They had four children: Robert, Ann, Eve, and Daniel.
Gallery
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Family in a wagon, Lee County, Mississippi, August 1935.
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Newsboy, Iowa City, 1940.
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Night photo of Rays Hill Tunnel on Pennsylvania Turnpike, 1942.
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Early color photograph of a guide at Little Norway, Wisconsin, 1943.
