Amateur Photographer – 30 August 2019

82 24 August 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

Final Analysis

Thisimage,alongwithmanyothers,canbeseenat the‘Life:SixWomenPhotographers’exhibitionondisplayat theNewYorkHistoricalSocietyuntil6 October2019.
ZeldaCheatleis a well-knowncuratorandeditorof photography.Aftersomeyearstakingphotographs,shebegana gallerycareerat ThePhotographers’Gallery in London
before setting up and running her own eponymous photography gallery from 1989 to 2005. For more information, visit her websitezeldacheatle.com.

ZeldaCheatleconsiders...

‘Mr B’, 1950, by Martha Holmes

Photo Critique

I

tis ofnotethatMarthaHolmes,
nota nameaswellknownasit
shouldbe,wasborninKentucky.
TheAmericanSouthof 1923 she
wasbornintowasa deeplydividedand
segregatedsociety.A photographer,
shebeganhereducationinartatthe
UniversityofLouisvilleandstarted,
whilestillanartstudent,workingfor
theLouisvilleCourier-JournalandThe
LouisvilleTimes.
Initiallyanassistant,MarthaHolmes
swiftlybecamea full-timeblack&white
photographer,asmanyofthepaper’s
malephotographershadgonetoservein
WorldWarII.ShewasrecruitedtoLIFE
magazineinWashingtonDC,andby 1947
wasoneofthreestaffphotographers.
ShecoveredtheHouseUn-American
ActivitiesCommitteehearings,to
investigatetheentertainmentindustry
andallegedcommunistpropaganda.
Henceshewasina primepositionto
photographandpromotethroughher
picturestherichanddiversemusicscene
andculturallifeshewitnessed.
HolmesmovedtoNewYork,where
sheremainedfortherestofherlife,
continuingworkingforLIFEforthree
decadesandpublishingthousandsof
picturesandtwocovers.Herworkis now
recognised,althoughhardlya household
name,butin 1950 (theyearthispicture
wastaken),Holmeswasnamedoneofthe
top 10 femalephotographersinAmerica.

Aforerunnerinherfield
Reputedly,thisis MarthaHolmes’s
favouritephoto.Shewasoncequotedas
saying,‘[Thisis]a picturetotellwhat
theworldshouldbelike.’Thepicturewas
controversialandcausedmuchfuroreat
thetimeforshowinga youngfemalefan
adoringandembracingthesingerBilly
Eckstine,surroundedbymanymore
youngwomenallenchantedbyhim.
‘Whenthatphotowastaken,theyweren’t
sureif theyshouldputit intotheissue– a
whitewomanembracinga blackman,’says
MarilynKushner,curatorofanexhibition
inNewYorktocelebratesixofLIFE’s
femalephotographers.‘ButLucetheeditor
putit intherebecausehesaid:“Thisis
what the future is going to be. Runit.”’

Thispicturewastaken 69 yearsago

• in1950sAmerica.Racism,sexism,
  homophobia,segregation,miscegenation,
  denialofrights,facilitiesandservices,
  hostilityandoppressionwererife.
  FourteenyearslaterTheCivilRightsAct
  outlaweddiscriminationbasedoncolour,
  race,religion,sexornationalorigin.
  A centralfiguretotheCivilRights
  Movement,MartinLutherKingwasactive
  inAlabamainthe1950s.Between 1957
  and’ 68 hetravelledoversixmillionmiles
  appearing where there was injustice,

protestandaction,andmadehisfamous

speechinWashingtonDCin1963.‘I havea

dream...I stillhavea dream.It is a dream

deeplyrootedintheAmericandream.I

havea dreamthatonedaythisnationwill

riseupandliveoutthetruemeaningofits

creedWeholdthesetruthstobeself-

evident:thatallmenarecreatedequal.’

Thenasnow,picturescontinuetohave

a far-reachingeffectandmagazines,

newspapersandtheinternetpublish

picturesthatengenderpositivechange

forthegood.MarthaHolmeswasa

forerunnerinherfield,andLIFEis to

belaudedforpublishingherwork.As

America’sfirstpicture-drivenmagazine,

LIFEwaspopular,a picturecouldtell

a thousand words. They still can.

©

MARTHA

HOLMES

/L

FEP

CTURE

COLLECT

ON, MEREDITH CORPORATION

‘Thepicturewas

controversialandcaused

much furore at the time’

SingerBillyEckstine

getsa hugfroman

adoringfanafterhis

showatBopCity

as otherslookon.

April 1950