Visitors await entry to The Family of Man, an exhibition organized by The Museum of Modern Art, at the Government Pavilion, Johannesburg, Union of South Africa (on view August 30–September 13, 1958). From The International Council/International Program Exhibition Records. Image courtesy The Museum of Modern Art
This year marked the 55th anniversary of the opening of MoMA’s photography exhibition The Family of Man, a show that was groundbreaking in its extent—503 images by 273 photographers originating in 69 countries—its physical design, and the numbers of people who experienced it.
Installation view of the exhibition The Family of Man, on view January 24–May 8, 1955 at The Museum of Modern Art. Gelatin silver print. Photographic Archive, The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York. Photo by Rolf Petersen. © 2010 The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Designed by architect Paul Rudolph, and featuring introductory text by poet Carl Sandburg, the exhibition opened on 53 Street in January 1955, and would be seen at 88 venues in 37 countries. Perhaps members of your family were among the 9 million who saw the exhibition at one of its locations, or some of the 2.5 million who had the accompanying catalog on their bookshelves at home.
Edward Steichen—photographer, painter, designer, and director of MoMA’s Department of Photography from 1947 to 1961—spent three years organizing the exhibition. During his tenure at MoMA, among the many other exhibitions he organized were Abstraction in Photography and Diogenes with a Camera.
From left: installation view of the exhibition Abstraction in Photography, on view May 1 to July 4, 1951, at The Museum of Modern Art. Installation view of the exhibition Diogenes with a Camera, on view May 20 to September 1, 1952, at The Museum of Modern Art. Both images by Soichi Sunami, and from The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York
Assembled in the Museum’s Department of Photography from 1968 to 1980, the Edward Steichen Archive contains a wealth of information about Steichen, The Family of Man, and many other exhibitions he organized. This rich resource, intended to aid study of Steichen’s life and creative output, includes original correspondence, photographs and sketches, still and moving images, tearsheets, and much more material still to be documented.
Edward Steichen, Director, Department of Photography, The Museum of Modern Art. Photo undated. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York. Photo: Homer Page
In September 2010, I began a one-year project rehousing and fully describing the Steichen Archive under the auspices of MoMA’s Museum Archives. When the project is completed next year, the collection will be fully accessible to researchers and scholars. Look for additional blog entries over the course of the year, as I discover more treasures from this fascinating archive.
Comments
Wonderful blog! Look forward to the next entry.
It is nice to be reminded that Edward Steichen had such a diverse career as photographer, painter, designer, and director of the Photography Department at MoMA. Wow!
Posted by Janet Kusmierski
why am I not surprised that of all the images from which to chose, you put the Government Pavillion in Johannesburg Union of South Africa front and center.
I love this.
bring it.
teedeecee
Posted by tom cugliani
I’m thrilled with this project! Long overdue. Can’t wait to read more and, eventually, access the archive myself. Bravo.
Posted by Bonnie Yochelson
Nice work. Keep on writing.
Posted by Robert Bell
I’m one of the millions with the Family of Man catalogue on my bookshelf, but I had no idea the exhibition traveled so widely, or was designed by Paul Rudolph! Can’t wait to hear about your discoveries in the archive.
Posted by Margi Hofer
Excellent piece. It’s great to hear how it’s going. And the images you chose are super. Look forward to up-dates as things progress.
Posted by Tom Butcher
Thank you all for the great responses. The show obviously conjures up vivid memories from viewers, and the catalog continues to strike a chord with readers.
Other responses I’ve received include:
- “I have the Family of Man catalog at my office. It’s so beautiful”
-”My parents — for years — had The Family of Man collection on their coffee table.”
-”I actually am old enough to remember seeing the Family of Man exhibit at the old MoMA building and still have the catalog I purchased that day with ‘my own money’ (I was proud to say.)”
Posted by Celia Hartmann
Nice work! I’m excited to see more…
I’ve been thinking about photographs quite a bit, and the Family of Man show often comes to mind – it may play a part in the eventual dissertation… I’ll know who to come to if and when it does!
Keep it up! Cheers…
Posted by LK
Question: Did Steichen design the book and cover?
Posted by tom morin
-In answer to Tom Morin’s question, the catalogue was designed by the multitalented Leo Lionni (1910-1999): designer, illustrator, author, critic.
-Another private reply that I received to this post: “This exhibition opened a whole new world to me.”
Posted by Celia Hartmann
Fascinating work! I picked up a first edition of the book years ago as a young anthropology student with a passion for photography. Any updates to report?
Posted by Bay Weyman
See the second post on the processing of this collection, about Steichen’s delphinium farming, at http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2011/03/08/edward-steichen-archive-delphiniums-blue-and-white-and-pink-too
Posted by Celia Hartmann
I read your report about the Family of Man exhibition with utmost interest. May I ask you how many foreign countries did the exhibit travel to and approximately how many people saw it? Steichen’s My Life in Photography and Niven’s biography say more than 9 million in 69 countries had seen it by 1963. Sandeen’s Picturing an Exhibition (p.96) mentions it travelled to 38 countries by 1962 without mentioning the approximate total number of viewers. You write the exhibition would be seen in 37 countries. I thought Sandeen might have included the United States, but my reading suggests that he does not include the US.
I am writing an article (in Japanese) which mostly deals with the exhibition in Japan. I need documentation for the number of the countries the exhibit visited and the often mentioned number of the viewers (more than 900 million), which I am not sure includes Americans or not. Since what I have read so far makes me confused, I would greatly appreciate it if you would give me any information.
Posted by Fumiko Fujita
In answer to Fumiko Fujita’s inquiry:
I can certainly understand your confusion in trying to determine the exact numbers of viewers of the exhibition, especially since it traveled in various versions over a long period of time.
Series V.B. of the Archive includes an enormous amount of information on the exhibition in the United States and other countries, including many different estimates of numbers, from varying sources.
The finding aid for the collection has very recently been completed and is now available at http://www.moma.org/learn/resources/archives/EAD/steichenf.
I invite you to use this online resource to determine which folders might be most useful to your research, and to use the materials in person by making an appointment at the MoMA Archives: http://www.moma.org/learn/resources/archives/archives_contact
Thank you for your interest in the Edward Steichen Archive.
Posted by Celia Hartmann