Contemplating photography and photographers all my life, I’m late in connecting the fates of three historic icons. Students of photography know about their images but perhaps not about their history.

Waiting for a seat in my favorite Austin coffee shop, the scene reminded me of Lewis Hine documenting sweat shops and child labor in the early 1900’s. Unlike his, my access was casual as no one looks twice at anyone taking an iPhone picture. This image should not draw direct parallels to children in harsh conditions, yet it seems today’s workers are also chained to machines spending more time than healthy at their stations.

Hine had to gain access to factories under false pretenses by saying he was studying industrial efficiency when he really wanted to expose child labor and cruel working conditions. People were indeed shocked, but it was not until the late 1930’s that child labor laws were passed. Today Arkansas and Minnesota are rolling back ages for when teenagers can work in meat packing plants.

Hine died in relative obscurity and near poverty. He tried to join other photographers in the famous Farm Security Administration’s photographic recording of America in the 1930’s but was turned down.

11 year old, North Carolina mill by Lewis Hine

Mathew Brady self-financed his epic work to document the Civil War and hired additional photographers equipping them with supplies. He was granted access only under the condition he would not receive funding from the government.

The Library of Congress eventually acquired his archive at a fraction of what he had personally spent. Like Hine, he died relatively poor and little known.

Deserted camp, wounded soldier by Mathew Brady

Edward Curtis had the vision to record Native Americans before their way of life passed into history. He was able to do the work with financing from JP Morgan. Portfolios were issued as completed to subscribers. Financial success was limited. There were criticisms of his retouching, mixing tribal artifacts, romanticizing views, etc. His work sat unseen until nearly 1970 before it received attention.

Curtis died in obscurity. Today a full portfolio collection is worth well over a million dollars. A small library in Upstate New York financed a new wing when they realized no one ever viewed their portfolio, so sold it at auction.

Today iPhones and Instagram can lead to Influencers gaining fame and fortune. I’m quite certain of the insignificance of their fame, as I am of its historical merit. And who knows if they will die in relative poverty or obscurity. Will their photos live on?

FAME & FORTUNE

SUN & MOON