the time in Peru. He was also associated with the
nationalist APRA political party. Chambi’s work
brings his subjects to life, even in ordinary scenes
and without defying the conventions of conservative
Peruvian society. He meticulously posed his photo-
graphs, so much so that they satisfied his upper-
class clients who were unaware that he was satirizing
their status and class power. Unfortunately, Cham-
bi died virtually unknown in 1973.
In addition to Chambi, the other Latin American
master who emerged from the first half of the twen-
tieth century was the Mexican Manuel A ́lvarez
Bravo. A ́lvarez Bravo began taking photographs in
the mid-1920s. Originally more interested in paint-
ing, music, and literature, in 1922, A ́lvarez Bravo met
the photographer Hugo Brehme and decided that he,
too, would become a photographer. Then in 1927,
A ́lvarez Bravo met Tina Modotti, who led him to
find a personal tone for his images. Edward Weston
came to admire A ́lvarez Bravo’s work, which opened
the doors to the international photographic commu-
nity. A ́lvarez soon became internationally famous,
exhibiting in Paris in the 1930s along with Henri
Cartier-Bresson. His work possesses a great poetic
quality. Furthermore his images offer a wide range of
interpretations, as there is often more than meets the
eye in what seem like ordinary photographs. Like the
Mexican muralists of the time, A ́lvarez Bravo incor-
porated Mexico’s indigenous past into his images.
There were relatively few women involved in
photography in the early twentieth century. The
first to make a significant contribution was the
Italian-born Tina Modotti, who first went to Mex-
ico in 1923, where she lived off and on until she
died there in 1942. Modotti was a student of
Edward Weston. She is known for her photographs
of Mexican street and village life, exploring every-
day problems of the people. For example, she pro-
duced images of workers’ demonstrations. Modotti
emphasized what she called ‘‘photographic qual-
ity,’’ which meant taking ‘‘sincere photographs’’
without manipulation. Modotti had an important
influence on other Mexican photographers such as
Manuel A ́lvarez Bravo and Lola A ́lvarez Bravo.
Lola A ́lvarez Bravo was another important female
photographer in Mexico in the first half of the cen-
tury. Many of her images reflect the surrealist move-
ment. She also produced portraits, especially of
painters and writers involved in the vibrant art scene
of Mexico City in the 1930s and 1940s. Among her
subjects was the artist Frida Kahlo. Alvarez Bravo
was able to capture Frida’s free spirit in a way that no
male photographer had been able to do.
A third female photographer of note in Mexico
was the Hungarian-born Kati Horna, who came to
Mexico in 1939 seeking political asylum. Horna
settled in Mexico City for the rest of her life.
Like A ́lvarez Bravo, she was part of the surrealist
movement. Horna also earned a living as a news-
paper photographer.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a number of female
photographers also made significant contributions.
In particular, the German-born Annemarie Hein-
rich and Greta Stern rose to prominence. Both
women arrived in Buenos Aires in the 1930s and
both became known for their artistic portraits, a
distinctive characteristic of the Buenos Aires
photography scene. Their clients were often well-
known artists from theater, dance, and cinema. No
artist who visited the Colon Theater in the Argen-
tine capital failed to visit their studios. These gla-
morous photographs of the famous performing
artists developed in Buenos Aires to a greater
extent than anywhere else in the region.
The role of Latin American photography chan-
ged with the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s. From
the early days of the revolution, Cuban photogra-
phers recorded the events of the guerrilla war
against the dictator Fulegncio Batista. Not only
did photographers document events, they also por-
trayed the leaders of the revolution. Iconography
played an important role in Latin American photo-
graphy of the period. Fidel Castro’s image became
known worldwide and could be seen in publica-
tions such asLife. Che Guevara became a popular
icon in large part due to Alberto Korda’s photo-
graph of the revolutionary leader with a black beret
with a revolutionary star on it.
In many ways, the photographs of the Cuban
Revolution followed the tradition of epic photo-
graphy begun during the Mexican Revolution
with the works of photographers such as Casasola.
In the post-Cuban Revolution period, Latin Amer-
ican photography was given a sort of revolutionary
imperative. That this was the case can be seen in
Fidel Castro’s unannounced visit in 1984 to the
Third Colloquium of Latin American Photography
being held in Havana. The Cuban leader remi-
nisced about the role of photography and images
during the revolution. Furthermore, with the crea-
tion of the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina, a
Third World alternative to international news or-
ganizations, a new space was opened for Latin
American photojournalists.
One of the results of the Cuban Revolution was
that it forced photographers—as well as those in
almost any other occupation—to choose sides. Either
one was committed to the ideals of social revolution
or one was labeled as a frivolous and decadent artist
who simply produced art for art’s sake.LATIN AMERICA: AN OVERVIEW, PHOTOGRAPHY IN