W. Eugene Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
W. Eugene Smith
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._W._Eugene_Smith_and_Aileen,_1974.jpg)
Smith and wife Aileen, 1974
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| Born |
William Eugene Smith
December 30, 1918 Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
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| Died | October 15, 1978 (aged 59) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
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| Occupation | Photojournalist |
| Years active | 1934–1978 |
| Spouse(s) |
Aileen Mioko
(m. 1971) |
William Eugene Smith (born December 30, 1918 – died October 15, 1978) was an American photojournalist. He is known as one of the most important American photographers who helped develop the "photo essay." A photo essay tells a story using many pictures.
Smith's famous photo essays include pictures from World War II, stories about a country doctor and a nurse, and the health problems caused by pollution in Minamata, Japan. His 1948 series, Country Doctor, was made for Life magazine. It is seen as the first long photo story published in a magazine.
Early Life and Photography
William Eugene Smith was born in Wichita, Kansas, on December 30, 1918. When he was 13, he became very interested in flying and aviation. His mother encouraged him to take his own photos of airplanes. She even helped him develop the pictures in a darkroom she made at home.
By the time he was a teenager, photography was his main passion. At 15, his sports photos were published in the Wichita Press. In 1934, The New York Times published one of his photos. It showed the Arkansas River dried up, showing the extreme weather of the time.
Smith finished high school in 1936. He got a scholarship for photography to attend the University of Notre Dame. But at 18, he left university and moved to New York City. By 1938, he worked for Newsweek magazine. He was known for wanting his photos to be perfect. He later worked for Life magazine starting in 1939.
War Photography
In 1943, Smith became a war reporter. He took photos on the front lines during World War II in the Pacific. He was with American forces fighting in places like Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Smith saw the harsh reality of war. He wanted his pictures to show the reasons why wars happen.
In 1945, Smith was badly hurt by mortar fire while taking photos during the Battle of Okinawa.
After his injury, in 1946, he took his first photo. It was a picture of his two children walking in their garden. He called it The Walk to Paradise Garden. This photo became very famous. It was a key image in a big exhibition called The Family of Man in 1955. After two years of recovery, Smith continued to work at Life magazine until 1955.
Photo Essays of the 1950s
Between 1948 and 1954, Smith created many photo essays for Life magazine. These stories focused on people and their lives. They helped shape what modern photojournalism is today. His work showed a strong sense of caring for others and social awareness.
In 1948, Smith spent weeks photographing Dr. Ernest Ceriani in Kremmling, Colorado. He showed the doctor's hard work in a rural area. The photo essay, Country Doctor, was published by Life. It is seen as the first long photo story in a magazine.
In 1949, Smith went to the UK to cover an election. He also traveled to Wales. There, he photographed miners in the South Wales Valleys. His pictures showed their daily lives and work.
From Wales, Smith went to Spain in 1950. He spent a month photographing the village of Deleitosa. He focused on the challenges of rural life there. His photo essay, A Spanish Village, was published in Life in 1951. It received great praise.
In 1951, Smith photographed Maude E. Callen. She was a black nurse midwife working in rural South Carolina. Smith spent weeks with her, showing her tiring schedule. The essay Nurse Midwife was published in Life. It led to donations that helped open the Maude Callen Clinic in 1953.
In 1954, Smith photographed the work of Albert Schweitzer at his clinic in Gabon, West Africa. Smith made many layouts of his pictures for Life. But he was unhappy with how the magazine finally published the story. Because of this, he left Life magazine in 1954.
After leaving Life, Smith joined the Magnum Photos agency in 1955. He was asked to photograph the city of Pittsburgh. This project was supposed to take a month. Instead, it took him over two years. He took 13,000 photos.
Jazz Loft Project
In 1957, Smith moved into a loft in Midtown Manhattan. He shared it with other artists. Smith set up microphones and took many photos of jazz musicians playing there. He recorded artists like Thelonious Monk.
From 1957 to 1965, Smith made about 4,000 hours of recordings. He also took nearly 40,000 photographs in the loft building. These recordings also include street sounds, radio shows, and conversations. The Jazz Loft Project now works to save and organize Smith's recordings and photos.
In 1970, Smith met Aileen Sprague. She later became his wife. Aileen helped him as a translator. She was from Tokyo and had moved to the United States. She became Smith's assistant and lived with him in New York.
Japan and Minamata
In 1970, a friend suggested Smith and Aileen visit Japan. They went to cover the Minamata disease. They arrived in Japan in August 1971 and got married there soon after.
From 1971 to 1974, they lived in Minamata, Japan. It was a fishing village and an industrial city. They created a long photo essay about Minamata disease. This disease was caused by mercury poisoning from a factory. The factory was dumping harmful metals into the water.
In 1972, Smith was attacked by factory employees while meeting with activists. He was badly hurt and his eyesight was damaged. Despite this, Smith and Aileen continued their work on the Minamata project.
Their book, Minamata, was published in 1975. Its most famous photo is Tomoko and Mother in the Bath. This picture, taken in 1971, showed a mother holding her daughter who was severely affected by Minamata disease. It brought worldwide attention to the disease. The photo was later removed from circulation at the wishes of Tomoko's parents.
In 2020, a film called Minamata was made about Smith's work there. Johnny Depp played W. Eugene Smith.
Later Life and Legacy
Smith returned from Japan in 1974. After finishing the Minamata book, he moved to New York City. His friends were worried about his health. They helped him get a teaching job at the University of Arizona. Smith moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1977.
In December 1977, Smith had a serious health issue. He recovered partly and continued to teach. Smith passed away on October 15, 1978.
W. Eugene Smith is remembered as a very important American photographer. He developed the photo essay to its highest form. He was very careful with his work. His photography set a high standard for photojournalism for many years.
In 1984, Smith was added to the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Big Book
The Big Book was a photo book project Smith worked on from the 1960s. He wanted it to show all his work and his ideas about life. It was a very large book with 380 pages and 450 images. It was not published during his lifetime. But it was finally published in 2013.
W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund
The W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund helps promote "humanistic photography." This means photography that focuses on people and their stories. Since 1980, the fund has given awards to photographers who do great work in this field.
Notable Photographs and Photo-Essays
- 1944 photograph of an American soldier finding a wounded baby on Saipan.
- 1945 photograph of Marines blowing up a Japanese cave on Iwo Jima. This was on the cover of Life.
- "The Walk to Paradise Garden" (1946) – a single photo of his two children walking.
- "Country Doctor" (1948) – a photo essay about Dr. Ernest Ceriani in Kremmling.
- "Dewey Defeats Truman" (1948) - a photo of Harry S. Truman holding a newspaper with the wrong headline.
- Spanish Village (1950) – a photo essay about the small Spanish town of Deleitosa.
- "Nurse Midwife" (1951) – a photo essay about midwife Maude E. Callen.
- A Man of Mercy (1954) – a photo essay about Albert Schweitzer and his work in Africa.
- "Pittsburgh" (1955–1958) – a long project about the city.
- Haiti (1958–1959) – a photo essay about a mental health hospital in Haiti.
- "Tomoko and Mother in the Bath" (1971) – a central photo in Minamata, showing a mother and her daughter affected by Minamata disease.
Films
- W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult (1989) – a film about his life and work.
- The 2020 film Minamata tells the story of Smith (played by Johnny Depp) documenting the Minamata disease in Japan.
See also
In Spanish: Eugene Smith para niños
- List of street photographers
