Carl Mydans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carl Mydans
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Carl Mydans in 1935
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| Born | May 20, 1907 |
| Died | August 16, 2004 (aged 97) |
| Nationality | American |
| Employer | Life magazine |
| Spouse(s) | Shelley Mydans |
Carl Mydans (born May 20, 1907 – died August 16, 2004) was an American photographer. He was famous for his work with the Farm Security Administration and Life magazine. He captured important moments in history, especially during World War II.
Contents
Carl Mydans' Early Life and Career
Carl Mydans grew up near the Mystic River in Medford, Massachusetts, close to Boston. His father was a musician who played the oboe.
While studying at Boston University, Carl discovered his passion for photography. He had once dreamed of being a surgeon or building boats, but working for the Boston University News changed his mind. He decided to become a journalist instead. His first jobs were for newspapers like The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald.
In 1935, Carl moved to Washington D.C. He joined a group of photographers working for the Farm Security Administration. This group documented the lives of American farmers and workers during the Great Depression. This was a very tough time when many people faced poverty. Carl worked with other famous photographers like Dorothea Lange. He traveled through New England and the American South, showing how the old farming way of life was changing. His pictures of struggling farmers and their families became well-known. One famous photo showed a family living in a hut built on an old truck. It really showed how hard life was for many people back then.
In 1936, Carl Mydans became one of the first photographers for Life magazine. This magazine was known for its amazing pictures. Carl was a pioneer in photojournalism, which means telling stories through photographs.
Carl Mydans and World War II
Carl Mydans took many powerful photos of life and death during World War II. He traveled over 45,000 miles (about 72,000 km) across Europe and Asia. In 1941, Carl and his wife, Shelley Mydans, became the first husband-and-wife team to work for Life magazine.
While covering the war, Carl and Shelley were captured by Japanese forces in the Philippines. They were held in a prison camp in Manila for almost a year. Then, they were moved to Shanghai, China, for another year. They were finally released in December 1943 as part of a prisoner exchange.
After being freed, Carl went back to cover important battles in Italy and France. By 1944, he was back in the Philippines. He was there to photograph General Douglas MacArthur's return. MacArthur had famously promised, "I shall return," when the Japanese took over in 1942. Carl Mydans captured the exact moment MacArthur walked ashore in 1945. This photo became very famous and showed MacArthur's promise coming true. Some people thought the photo might have been planned, but Carl always said it happened naturally. He did admit that MacArthur was very good at using photos for public relations. Carl also took another memorable picture of MacArthur. In that photo, MacArthur and other top U.S. officers watched as a Japanese group signed the surrender documents in September 1945. Carl said that MacArthur understood the power of a picture better than anyone he knew.
Carl Mydans also photographed the signing of Japan's surrender aboard the USS Missouri battleship.
Some of Carl's other famous pictures include:
- The bombing of Chongqing in China.
- Angry French citizens shaving the heads of women who were accused of helping Germans during the occupation in 1944.
- A room full of excited young royals and their serious older relatives in 1954.
- A portrait of Douglas MacArthur smoking his pipe in 1950.
He also showed the war from the view of ordinary soldiers and sailors. Carl was very skilled and calm, and his photos of combat still help us remember World War II, the Korean War, and other conflicts.
After the War
Even after being held captive for two years, Carl Mydans did not feel angry towards Japan. He accepted a job to lead Time-Life's office in Tokyo with his wife. Time-Life published Time, Life, and other major magazines. Carl continued to send back many visual stories. In 1948, he happened to be in the city of Fukui when a strong earthquake hit. Some of his photos were taken right on the street while buildings were falling around him.
After covering the Korean War, Carl traveled the world for Life magazine for the next twenty years. Life magazine stopped publishing in 1972. When it started again a few years later, Carl was still listed as one of its contributing photographers.
Carl Mydans passed away on August 16, 2004, from heart failure at his home in Larchmont, New York. He was 97 years old. His wife, Shelley, had passed away in 2002. Carl was survived by his daughter, Misty, who is a lawyer, and his son, Seth, who is a journalist for The New York Times.
Books by Carl Mydans
- IN THE SHADOW OF THE CAPITOL. Melbourne: Pataphysics Books, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-987-3387-0-9. This book features photos Carl Mydans took for the U.S. Resettlement Administration in 1935.
- More Than Meets the Eye, 1959.
- Carl Mydans – Photojournalist, 1985.
- The Violent Peace, 1968 (written with Shelley Mydans).
