Margaret Bourke-White; research

assignment

By:Brooklyn

https://journal.alabamachanin.com/2018/06/womenwhoinspire-margaret-bourk
e-white/ https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/margaret-bourkewhite
 PHOTOGRAPHER’S GENRE? She was a photojournalist. She explored many forms of
photography in career such as industrial, architectural, documentary, editorial and
About Margaret many more different genres.

Bourke-White DOB: June, 14, 1904 DOD: August, 27,1971

She was Known as “Bourke-White”
Where born (nationality?). Where the person lives and works now? Bronx, New york,
United States, therefore, she was an american photographer.

What equipment does this photographer use and why? She used a second hand
camera, she couldn't afford a brand new camera when she first starting out. the
camera had a cracked lens and was a she used 3 ¼ x 4 ¼inch ICA.

Accomplishments? She published a book; “The photographs of Margaret

Bourke-White in 1931. In 1927 she opened her first photography studio in her
apartment, She opened a studio in the chrysler building new york in 1930. Due to her
commission to document the building, She became employed for life magazine in
1936. She earned commission on her work while employed for life magazine. She also
has won many awards throughout her career.

Influences? Her father, Joseph bourke-white he was fond of photography, so when he

died she inherited his camera, then her love photography came naturally afterwards
due to her fathers love for it. Also, the encouragement and support from her peers
helped into her pressuring photography.

https://journal.alabamachanin.com/2018/06/womenwhoinspire-
margaret-bourke-white/
Family? She was the middle child out of 3 children. She was the daughter of Joseph
white and Minnie Buroke. She grew up with a strict mother and a close relationship
with father. As,soon as, she was of age she moved away from her family. She got
married in 1924. She also got a dicorce from her husband several years later and lived
the rest of her life as a single women.
Photos taken by Margaret
Bourke-white
 Egypt, 1940, during world war lI.
The Steppe, Ukraine, 1935
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/08/photography-of-margaret-
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/139632
bourke-white/596980/
Germany, buchenwald concentration camp, 1930. Plane flying over matham, 1939.
https://journal.alabamachanin.com/2018/06/womenwhoinspire-margaret-bourke-w https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/08/photography
hite/
-of-margaret-bourke-white/596980/
 Initial reaction

I wonder… Where this photo was taken and when im just

generally curious about the location in terms of the photo
and it would interesting to find out.

I wonder… Why there is 2 men on the left hand side

surrounding the one women and both touching her and very
close to her? Also i wonder why we can only see the the shoe
of the women sitting next to them.

I wonder… Why does everyone in this photo seem

uncomfortable in general? Did Margaret get their permission
to take the photo?

I have so many questions about the people because they

caught my eyes first ganze. I wonder… what's their names?
https://www.invaluable.com/artist/bourke-white-margaret-1
what's their relationships with one another? Why are they at
63owrtfw2/sold-at-auction-prices/ that event? How old they are? And more.
Description

It's a photo of a group of caucasin people. Black and

white photograph.Two partners are posing in a similar
way as if they are dancing. All the people in this photo
are facing/looking that camera expect 2 people are
walking away and not facing the camera and some
lady’s shoe seen the left hand corner of the photo.
They are all dressed up kinda fancy like. All the women
have this photo have short hair. All men are taller than
the women that they are next too/posing with.

https://www.invaluable.com/artist/bourke-white-margaret-163owr
tfw2/sold-at-auction-prices/
 Interpretation

-I notice three sets of a man and women that I assume are a

couple dancing, also a couple in which you can’t see their faces
and the other look as if they are walking away like they don't
want their picture to be taken.

- I feel like everyone in this photo they may have had no say in
their photo being taken because of the awkward facial
expressions on the faces especially the one of women, the men
in which they are posing with are more than likely making them
uncomfortable or maybe just getting a photo taken in general.

https://www.invaluable.com/artist/bourke-white-margaret-163owr
tfw2/sold-at-auction-prices/
-The one guy on the left of the women in the right hand corner is
holding on to that women more than the other guy who is sitting
with her as if he trying to protect her or something. And the
man who is sitting with the women is still touching her but not
as tight compared to the one standing. I feel like that means
something but i'm not 100%what exactly.
 Analysis
https://www.invaluable.com/artist/bourke-white-margaret-163
owrtfw2/sold-at-auction-prices/
-The photo has contrast and value due to the
black and white aspects it fits well for this photo
also not much of choice back then but it stills
works well overall
-There's emphasis created and its directed
towards the women posing with the 2 men on
the left of the photo. It just stands out because
they different the other main dancers. Makes the
photo more interesting compared to if they were
all posing the same.
-She sorta framed the point of emphasis in the
photo by the positioning of the other dancers.
Again to help highlight people who appear to
posing differently in the photo.
 Cultural context

-The people in this photo are taxi dancers

-It was taken in fort peck, Montana in 1936

-The photo was taken apart of a photo essay

project she was working on

-The photograph was published in the Life

manganzie

-Limited information found unfortunately

https://www.invaluable.com/artist/bourke-white-margaret-163owrtf
w2/sold-at-auction-prices/
 Informed point of view

After finding out the culture context of this photo, I found out that
the people in this photo are considered as taxi dancers. I was
unsure of what taxi dancers are so I had too into it because I was
generally curious. Anyways I found out that taxi dancers are
typically women who get paid to dance with men. The trend was
super popular in the 20th century. That makes a lot more sense
why the women don't look too happy. Now i kinda understand why
it looks so awkward in terms of how they are posing they aren't a
couple with the person they are dancing with, the men are probably
strangers to the women. I found it interesting to know learn about
that topic because I never would have guessed that just looking at
this photo. It's crazy to me, that's what women had to do to get an
income. It blows my mind and I can't wrap my head around what
the women back then had to go through. Still curious about the
situation in terms of that one women on the left with the 2 men,
but based off of the culture context given it helps me create a
https://www.invaluable.com/artist/bourke-white-margare
story in my head in terms of that situation.
t-163owrtfw2/sold-at-auction-prices/
Margaret bourke-white photograph; highlighting the louisville flood of 1937.
https://iphf.org/inductees/margaret-bourke/
The subjects matter of this photo is the people shown in front of the sign. A line of
all coloured people are lined up at redcross to get food.The show Represents the
“american way” of life vs the reality which is very ironic that sense because the two
appear to be completely different. The sign takes up alot of the photo. The photo is
black and white, again only type of photographs able to take back then. The photo
was published by the gelatin print. Unfortunately there was limited information on
the equipment used for this particular photograph and camera setting due to the
long period a time go this photo was taken
Why was this a famous or recognizable photograph? This is a famous, due to it
was one of few photos taken during and to represent the louisville flood of 1937 in
Kentucky. It shows a important part of history and says a lot about this unfortunate
event of the past this photo really does say 1000 words. Also many talks have
been started due to the irony of this photo and more. Also, there isn't a photo taken
like their one at time time making it unique compared to a lot of other photos taken
during that time.
How does it best represent the style or message of your photographer? It
represents the editorial part of her representation of her in the public eye .Most of
her photos are amimed to tell a story and this one definitely does and makes the
viewer wanting to know more about the set event. Also, she's an activism and has
taken photos of heartbreaking events. Also she took many photos of coloured
people to represent the, and how poorly they are treated. white supremacy in which
she was around for, she had seen it first hand and how it was taken over. So,which
she tried to take photographs through that perspective.
Videos & fun facts about Margaret Bourke-White:
Videos:
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbLytLCZroc
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z_NxyOmweA
1. Margaret's father was fond of photography, yet she
never even picked up a camera until his death in
1921.
2. She a woman of first for a few things, she the first
women, correspondent credentialed in world war II
also the first woman photographer for Fortune.
3. She took her mothers and fathers last name, when
she got into the photography business hence
“Bourke-white.”
4. She started out developing photos in the bath tub
at a young age, to help her father with developing
his photos.
5. She ended up traveling lots around the world for
her photography career, before her career took off
she never has traveled previous before.
Other photographers of the 1930s
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/121528

Carl mydays; photos Theodor Jung; photos

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive
/objects/fall-of-france-refugees-flee
ing-from-paris
https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/
objects/fall-of-france-refugees-fleei
ng-from-paris

https://cronicasd
elhelesponto.wor
dpress.com/2019
/06/27/las-uvas-d
e-la-ira-era-un-b
uen-pozo/grw-00
6-3a-brown-coun
ty-indiana-1935-t
heodor-jung/
 Elements and Principles of Design
Principles of Design: Radial balance, was used and was represented through the
circles that take up most of the space in this photo. they also have connecting lines to the
circle and connect at a focal point which is a perfect example of radial balance. Rhythm
was used due to the fact the circles are lined up and there's a pattern in terms of the
placement of them in this photo.

composition techniques: The use of space the negative space was thought
through in this photo,the background pushes the the main focus of the is photo forward
making, the background not distracting or overpowering. The positive space was also
thought through to highlight the darker subjects in this photo. Obviously contrast was
used well. the really wasn't much of choice to have contrast or not in photos back then
but the contrast in this picture just works well overall. Leading lines were used to make
your eye travel smoothly while looking at this picture which just helps make this photo
more appealing to the human eye and just more interesting overall.

https://www.monroegallery.com/gallery/default/photoDetail/ground-crew
-of-the-bermuda-clipper-1937
Where did this photographer show their work? Many places within new
york.. Then eventually many places with the US then places all over the world … many
magazines published some of her work… her photo studio in cleveland…. she made
displays for events to trying to sell her in many different places in the world… museums…
art galleries… and more
Why did you choose this one? I picked this photo because it stood out to me and
made me wondering more in terms of what are the large circles are and where this photo
was taken and ect
 My final thoughts
One surprising fact I learned about this photographer was… She dropped her
major in biology to take photography instead, this kinda came a shock to me because they are unrelated and shocking that she
was that off about what she wanted to pursue. Also shocking that she was able to afford the financial consequences of dropping
her major and switching because she wasn't previously financial stable to begin with but she somehow was able to make it work.

I found this photographer interesting because… She was a woman of many first, in
terms of the photography industry, which I think is exdorndialtry because in some ways she has shaped the industry in
many ways especially for women and has more than likely inspired many.

I understand more about… How hard it must have been for women to fight for their jobs especially back
then. Also how people back then used whatever they had and they didn't care as long as it worked and they worked with whatever
they could afford or had access to. Also the struggle to get to get where she ended up was real and the struggle of it all I sorta got a
perspective of what struggles were back then in the photography industry.

I still want to know… she has taken many photos of people of the lower class did she did their permission to even take
their photos? let alone publish them for the whole world to see? Who knows how those people felt getting their photos taken! Also did
she do anything to help the people who are obviously showing signs of suffering in her photos or just used used them for a good
photograph?
 Works Cited
https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/womphotoj/bourkewhiteessay.html#:~:text=Margaret%20Bourke%2DWhite%20was%20a,zones%20during%20World%20War%20II.

https://books.google.ca/books/about/Margaret_Bourke_White.html?id=RQxMAQAACAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y

,https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/womphotoj/bourkewhiteessay.html#:~:text=Margaret%20Bourke%2DWhite%20was%20a,zones%20during%20World%20War%20II.

https://iphf.org/inductees/margaret-bourke/

https://www.moma.org/artists/712

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-photographers-charged-documenting-depression-era-america-farm-security-administration-180964123/

https://www.moma.org/interactives/objectphoto/artists/712.html#:~:text=For%20the%20course%20Bourke%2DWhite,first%20photographs%20on%20glass%20plates.

https://www.thoughtco.com/margaret-bourke-white-3529540

https://www.monroegallery.com/gallery/artists/bourke-white

https://emuseum.cornell.edu/objects/7005/taxi-dancers-fort-peck-montana

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+are+taxi+dancers&rlz=1CARWXF_enCA993&oq=what+are+taxi+dancers&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i390l3.4081j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on