Dream Streets: W. Eugene Smith

A detailed Summary of Dream Streets: W. Eugene Smith

Dream Street: W. Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Photographs

Born in 1918, Smith began his professional career at the young age of fourteen as a stringer for newspapers in Wichita, Kansas, his hometown(Beauret et al. 4). His worked earned him a scholarship to Notre Dame University, but Smith left after only a year to pursue a career in New York City(4). Soon after arriving in New York City Smith established himself as a photojournalist with his work appearing in America's best- known magazines, including Life, Colliers, and Harper's Bazaar(Stephenson 17). By 1939, his work had yielded him a position as a full- time staff photographer for Life. In 1941 though, Smith resigned from his position at Life, stating that he was "disappointed with the quality of his assignments"(116). Smith's desire for more meaningful work took him to the front lines of World War Ð, where he spent two years photographing combat for the Ziff-Davis publishing company(116). Three years after leaving Life, he rejoined the staff as a war correspondent. He spent 1944-1947 traveling through Guam, Saipan, Okinawa, the Philippines, and Iwo Jima, until a shrapnel wound ended his wartime career(117). Reluctantly, Smith returned to Life and spent 1947-1954 working on m

Smith believed that the expressive potential of Dream Streets existed in the collective whole and not fragmented publications(48). This, coupled with his want of complete editorial control delayed its publication until 1959, when Popular Photography agreed to relinquish complete control of the project to Smith(52). Even though it received critical acclaim, Smith believed the project to be a debacle and failure(52). The 38 pages allotted to him for the layout were not enough for him to complete his vision(52). The current exhibit at the International Center of Photography, consists of 193 prints that are being shown from March 27- June 16, 2002. The exhibit is based upon the scattered notes and layouts that survived Smith(Stephenson 3). Sam Stephenson of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University and guest curator of Dream Streets spent five years studying Smith's notes to identify the photographs(3). The exhibit is organized into ten sections and also features letters, documents, contact sheets, and layouts that offer a rare glimpse of Smith's creative process(3).

ore than 50 assignments that are considered to be major works in the history of photojournalism. While abroad Smith cultivated the conviction that "photojournalism should work in the service of social justice," which is evident in his better-known works such as the "Nurse Midwife,"showing nobility amidst raci

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Approximate Word count = 937
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts