David Douglas Duncan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Douglas Duncan
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Duncan in 1945
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| Born | January 23, 1916 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | June 7, 2018 (aged 102) Grasse, France |
| Allegiance | United States |
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United States Marine Corps  |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Battle of Bougainville Korean War *Battle of Pusan Perimeter *Battle of Chosin Reservoir |
| Other work | Photographer |
David Douglas Duncan (born January 23, 1916 – died June 7, 2018) was a famous American photojournalist. He was known for his amazing pictures from wars. He also took many photos of the famous artist Pablo Picasso and his wife, Jacqueline.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Growing Up in Missouri
David Douglas Duncan was born in Kansas City, Missouri. As a child, he loved being outdoors. This helped him become an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts at a young age.
First Steps into Photography
When he was in elementary school, a doctor named Richard Lightburn Sutton gave a presentation. It was about hunting big animals and traveling the world. This talk made David interested in photography and seeing new places.
College Days
Duncan went to the University of Arizona for a short time. There, he studied archaeology, which is the study of old cultures. Later, he went to the University of Miami and graduated in 1938. He studied zoology (the study of animals) and Spanish. It was in Miami that he really started to love photojournalism. He worked for the university newspaper as a picture editor and photographer.
A Career in Pictures
An Unexpected First Photo
Duncan's career as a photojournalist began with a surprising event. While he was studying in Tucson, Arizona, he took pictures of a hotel fire. One of his photos showed a hotel guest trying to go back into the burning building. This guest turned out to be a well-known person. The photo became very important news.
Working for Big Magazines
After college, Duncan worked as a freelance photographer. This means he sold his pictures to different magazines. His work appeared in famous publications like The Kansas City Star, Life, and National Geographic.
War Photographer
When the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, the United States entered World War II. Duncan joined the Marine Corps and became an officer. He was assigned to be a combat photographer. This meant he would take pictures during battles.
He was sent to the South Pacific to photograph military operations. Combat photographers usually don't fight, but Duncan found himself in a brief battle against the Japanese on Bougainville Island. He also covered the Battle of Okinawa. He was even on the USS Missouri when Japan officially surrendered, ending World War II.
After World War II
Duncan's war photographs were so powerful that Life magazine hired him. He covered many important events around the world. These included the end of British rule in India and conflicts in Turkey, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
The Korean War
Perhaps his most famous war photos came from the Korean War. He put many of these pictures into a book called This Is War! (1951). The money from the book went to help the families of Marines who had died in the war. Duncan is known as one of the most important combat photographers of the Korean War.
He once shared a memorable moment with a Marine during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Duncan asked the Marine what he would wish for if Duncan were God. The Marine looked up and simply said, "Give me tomorrow."
The Vietnam War
Later, Duncan created two more books about the Vietnam War: I Protest! (1968) and War Without Heroes (1970). In these books, he stopped being neutral. He openly questioned how the U.S. government was handling the war.
Photographing Pablo Picasso
Besides his war photos, Duncan is also famous for his pictures of Pablo Picasso. He took informal photos of Picasso and his second wife, Jacqueline Roque, at their homes. This started in 1956. Duncan became a close friend of Picasso. He was the only person allowed to photograph many of Picasso's private paintings. He published seven books filled with Picasso's photographs.
A Friend to Nikon
Duncan also helped the camera company Nippon Kogaku (Nikon) a lot in its early years. In 1965, they gave him the 200,000th Nikon F camera ever made. This was to thank him for using and making their cameras popular.
Later Works and Legacy
In 1966, he published Yankee Nomad, which was like a photo autobiography of his career. A revised version came out in 2003 called Photo Nomad. He also photographed the 1968 Democratic and Republican national conventions. These photos were published in a book called Self-Portrait U.S.A. in 1969.
Duncan traveled widely in the Middle East. He later published a book about the region called The World of Allah in 1982. He lived to be 102 years old, passing away in June 2018 in Grasse, France. In 2021, David Douglas Duncan was honored by being added to the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.
Books by David Douglas Duncan
- This Is War! (1951)
- The Private World of Pablo Picasso (1958)
- The Kremlin (1960)
- Picasso's Picassos (1961)
- Yankee Nomad (1966)
- I Protest! (1968)
- Self-Portrait: USA (1969)
- War Without Heroes (1970)
- Goodbye Picasso (1974)
- The Silent Studio (1976)
- The World of Allah (1982)
- Picasso and Jacqueline (1988)
- Photo Nomad (2003)
- Picasso & Lump (2006)
Images for kids
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Duncan in 1945
See also
In Spanish: David Douglas Duncan para niños
