Movie Monday - The Photo League

What was The Photo League's credo? They believed that connecting with people and documenting that emotional connection could initiate social change.

What organization did The Photo League separate from? They were seperated from the Communist-backed Film and Photo League, originally named the Workers Film and Photo League. 

What was the workshop? The workshop were inexpensive classes that taught people how to take photographs and offered the study in documentary photography.

Who taught "the workshop? Sid Grossman 

If you were to devote one year of your life to one project, what project is worth your time and energy? First of all, a one-year project would have to have the potential to change, perhaps not the entire world, but the world which I can see.

What was The Harlem Document? It was a portrait of urban African American's culture and lifestyle  during the 1930s in Harlem, New York. 

Who started The Harlem Document? Aaron Siskind

A photographer discusses a photograph where "the children looked like they came out of a __________ painting. Who was the painter?  Caravaggio

Why did the photograph mentioned in #8 look like it was by the painter? The boy on the right side's face was illuminated, putting him in the center of attention.

Who was Lewis Hine? (name two significant contributions) Lewis Hine made significant contributions as part of the NCLC, exposing the immorality behind factory workers.

Weegee is a nickname for a man called Arthur Fellig.  He was known for his stark black and white street photography.  He took photos of mostly crime, murder, and death in New York City.

Many talented refugees escaped Europe to avoid Nazi rule.  They began to take part in The Photo League, but they were seen as "alien," which caused problems. Many male members of the Photo League left to serve in the army, leaving behind the female members.

The Photo League began to move away from photographing impoverished neighborhoods in New York City and also from the realist side of documentary photography. It reduced the number of photographs that were taken of class and the daily struggles of workers. 

He turned away from the social and political world after WWII.  Instead, he looked at more abstract works that were a far cry from the realism he advocated.

The Saturday Evening post was a magazine that was first published twice per month.  In then started publishing weekly in 1897-1963, and then biweekly until 1969. 

Barbara Morgan was a photographer that mainly took pictures of modern dancers.  She was the co-founder of the photography magazine Aperture.

Many of the members of the Photo League were strong believers in progressive social and political causes. However, The FBI accused this of being communist and "subversive and anti-American". The Photo League was placed on the U.S. Department of Justice blacklist by Attorney General Tom C. Clark.

The "growing menace" refers to the underlying threat of Communism that existed in America.

W. Eugene Smith agreed to serve President when The League was under investigation.

In May 1949, FBI informer Angela Calomiris testified that the Photo League was an organization that supported the Communist Party. Recruitment slowed down and many old members left. The League disbanded in 1951.