History of Photography (1950-1955)

Paul Strand Leaves U.S.

Jan 1, 1950

http://www.photohistorytimeline.com/?page_id=52
Strand left the U.S. to escape the prevalent climate of McCarthyism. He went to Orgeval, France where he resided with his wife, Hazel Kingsbury Strand, for the next 27 years.

Richard Avedon's Potraits

Apr 1, 1950

http://www.marcine.com/photohistorytimeline.html
Richard Avedon first starts to shoot his trademark potraits of people with stark white backgrounds. He contributed photos to LIFE, Look and Graphis. He was known for allowing his models to show more emotions than what was the norm back then.

Television Changes the Way Information is Transmitted

Jul 1, 1950

http://www.marcine.com/photohistorytimeline.html
The advent of television merged the mediums of documentary and photography to create photojournalism. People could now learn about current events in the comfort of their own homes.

Time in New England Published

Oct 1, 1950

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Strand
Paul Strand produces his collection of photos on the landscape and people of New England.

This is War! is Published

Jun 25, 1951

http://www.marcine.com/photohistorytimeline.html
David Douglas Duncan's book This is War!, which contained images of the Korean War, was published.

Richard Avedon Employed by Theatre Arts Magazine

Jan 1, 1952

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Avedon
Richard Avedon became the Staff Editor and photographer for Theatre Arts Magazine.

La France de Profil Published

Apr 1, 1952

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Strand
Paul Strand publishes his collection of photos detailing life in rural France after the war.

Bwana Devil is Released

Nov 30, 1952

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_photography_technology
The low-budget polarized 3-D film sparked a 3-D craze that lasted from 1953 to 1954.

Leica M3 Introduced

Jan 1, 1954

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_photography_technology
The Leica M3 was a 35 mm rangefinder camera by Ernst Leitz GmbH (now Leica Camera AG). It introduced several new features such as a combination of viewfinder and rangefinder in a single bright window, as well as a bayonet lens mount.

Tri-X Film Introduced

Apr 1, 1954

http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Photography.htm
Eastman Kodak introduced the first high speed Tri-X film. In combination with 35mm cameras, this black and white photographic film transformed photojournalism at the time.

Brown v. Board of Education Verdict Handed Down

May 17, 1954

http://reportingcivilrights.loa.org/timeline/?decade=1950
The press covers the Supreme Court's ruling in the case that called for the desegregation of public schools across the U.S.

Sports Illustrated is Published

Aug 16, 1954

http://www.marcine.com/photohistorytimeline.html
The first issue of Sports Illustrated was published. It featured liberal use of colored photos and was meant to be the premier magazine for the average sportsman.

Family of Man Exhibit Opens

Jan 24, 1955

http://photo.net/history/timeline
Edward Steichen curated the Family of Man exhibit at New York's Museum of Modern Art. This exhibit featured several photos taken from around the world that were ment to promote unity and humanism after an era of strife and war. While it showed the differences between different cultures and peoples, it also showed the goals in life that they all shared.

O. Winston Link Documents the Norfolk and Western Railway Line

Apr 1, 1955

http://www.photohistorytimeline.com/?page_id=52
O. WInston Link, an industrial photographer, began documenting the last major railroad that still hadn't made the transition from steam to diesel power.

Robert Frank Photographs Post-War America

Jul 1, 1955

http://www.marcine.com/photohistorytimeline.html
Robert Frank traveled the U.S. on a Guggenheim scholarship to photograph how post-war America and Americans really looked. They were meant to be more bleak and realistic in contrast to most other photos of the time that depicte America as prosperous and harmonious.

Emmett Till Found Murdered

Aug 28, 1955

http://reportingcivilrights.loa.org/timeline/?decade=1950
The press coverage of Emmett Till's murder in Money, Mississippi brought widespread attention to the issue of racial discrimination in the South and the extent to which it was willing to go.

Un Paesa is Published

Oct 1, 1955

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Strand
Paul Strand produces his collection of photos featuring the Luzzara commune and the Po River Valley in Italy.

Montgomery Bus Boycott Begins

Dec 1, 1955

http://reportingcivilrights.loa.org/timeline/?decade=1950
The coverage of the boycott brought attention to MLK's message of using nonviolent means to achieve equality. The success of the boycott demonstrated that it was possiblen to do this.