strength of their magnificent form. Evidence of the
dense crowded assembly lines was noticeably miss-
ing from his project. Most of Sheeler’s images were
void of human presence.
Sheeler’s new vision of the Ford plant at River
Rouge—the exquisite balance of palpable struc-
ture, complex machinery, and high contrast of
lights and darks—gave profound meaning to the
machine age and subsequently influenced the way
photographers and painters represented American
industry for the next two generations.
1930s
The desire to unite the mind of the architect and the
mind of the photographer to capture a real life
building as it has been brought to completion in
the spirit that gave rise to its creation was what
motivated the photography firm of Hedrich-Bles-
sing. In a city like Chicago, known since the late
nineteenth century for its innovative architecture,
photographers wishing to document its structures
had to be equally creative in recording it. The Hed-
rich-Blessing Architectural Photographers firm,
founded in 1929, has maintained a continuous
position as preeminent photographers for archi-
tects in Chicago and elsewhere in the country. In
over 70 years the firm has taken 500,000 photo-
graphs by 19 photographers, mostly members of
the Hedrich family.
Begun by Ken Hedrich, a 21-year old photogra-
pher who opened his own commercial studio in
downtown Chicago with managing partner Henry
Blessing, the firm always maintained the name
Hedrich-Blessing despite the fact that Blessing left
in 1931. At the time, they did not want to change the
name on the stationary. Ken Hedrich was joined by
his brothers Bill and Ed, who took over as managing
partners in 1931. Their recognition by Chicago ar-
chitects came when they received commissions to
record structures at Chicago’s A Century of Progress
Exposition International Exposition, 1933–1934. At
the fair, Ken Hedrich shot on speculation and
offered potential clients creative interpretations and
technically proficient images.
Their photographs revolutionized the way build-
ings are represented, raising the commercial and
documentary nature of architectural photography
to a high art form. Not satisfied with a straight-
documentary style made to show every element and
detail, the Hedrich-Blessing images highlighted
dramatic shadows, bold juxtapositions, and hand-
some detailing revealing more than the whole.
Work at the fair kept the firm busy and solvent
during the middle of the depression.
Hedrich’s early motto was ‘‘Don’t make photo-
graphs, think them.’’ An early client was John
Wellborn Root, Jr. whose architectural firm built
the Chicago Board of Trade, Palmolive Building,
and other progressive structures. Hedrich-Bless-
ing’s success in capturing the dramatic space,
form, and light of these buildings soon led to
other commissions including the post of official
photographer to the prestigious journalArchitect-
ural Forum.
Throughout the years, Hedrich-Blessing has
documented a wide range of styles and building
types created by famous architects. Their list of
clients include: Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der
Rohe, Albert Kahn, Eliel Saarinen, Skidmore
Owings and Merrill, Holabird & Root, and Gensler
& Associates, to list just a few. Each photographer
works with an assistant as a team in the creation of
the photographs. Hedrich-Blessing Architectural
Photographers’ blending of art and commerce
became a model for budding photographers; the
firm supported upcoming Chicago photographers
by staging exhibits in their headquarters as early as- A lesser known aspect of the firm’s business
is the non-architectural commercial work, primar-
ily advertising photography.
The Hedrich-Blessing photography collection,
prints, negatives, and transparencies from 1929–
1979, is owned and preserved by the Chicago His-
torical Society.
From 1935–1943, photographers working for
the Historical Section of the Farm Securities Ad-
ministration (FSA) under the direction of Roy
Stryker documented Depression-era conditions in
the Midwest, as in other U.S. regions. Midwestern
born and raised Russell Lee had a natural affilia-
tion with the rural life and was able to move com-
fortably among its people. The Lee family owned
farm land outside of Ottawa, Illinois; as a conse-
quence Lee understood the plight of farmers whose
lands were subjugated to drought, tornadoes, and
insect plagues. Beginning in the fall of 1936, Lee
traveled in the Midwest, living in hotels and board-
ing houses, moving from one small town to
another as dictated by the agency. Most of his
early works documented the problems of the
rural farmers in Iowa, but Lee found similar stories
to record in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota as
well as parts of Michigan. His photographs had a
‘‘family album’’ quality that expressed his accep-
tance as a member of the community.
The FSA survey team’s saturated coverage of
Ohio featured in an exhibition and catalogue titled
Ohio: A Photographic Portrait 1935–1941: Farm
Security Administration Photographs reveal a di-
UNITED STATES: THE MIDWEST, PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE