Hansel Mieth, great photographer

2nd woman photographer hired by Life magazine, lived a long difficult life full of artistic achievement and personal tragedy

I was not aware of her work until two nights ago when I watched a broadcast of the documentary "Hansel Mieth, Vagabond Photographer" on Ontario's Education TV network, TVOntario.

A brilliant photographic documenter of the struggles of immigrants and the working class in America in the 1930s and 40s, she and her husband were blacklisted after they chose not to appear before HUAC. They chose not "to rat out" their friends in the labour movement.

What is even sadder in a way is the photos she shot for Life magazine that were rejected by the magazine editors because they did not match the political viewpoint of the magazine. You could say they were too truthful.

She and her husband turned their Santa Rosa, CA, property into a farm to survive. She turned to painting and writing.

A great artist, I hope you can find this fine documentary the next time it airs.

The link below is to the PBS web site page about the 2003 documentary about Mieth.

Link: pbs.org

4/14/2007 : permalink
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