W. Eugene Smith photograph collection

W. Eugene Smith photograph collection, 1944-1954

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Smith, W. Eugene, 1918-1978.
Title: W. Eugene Smith photograph collection
Dates: 1944-1954 (inclusive)
19441954
Quantity: 2 boxes, (2.0 linear feet)
Collection Number: UUS_P0620
Summary: The W. Eugene Smith collection consists of 71 black and white prints from the Life magazine photo archive. The images include: actors, artists, authors, and musicians such as Charlie Chaplin, Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, Henry Fonda, and Bruno Walter; WWII Pacific Theatre (Okinawa and Iwo Jima) and Pearl Harbor Naval Yard views; New Mexico images from Taos and Santa Fe; scenes from plays including A Sleep of Prisoners, Edward, My Son, 20th Century, and The Green Pastures; and selected shots from his photo essays such as, “Bowery Bum of the Month, British Pre-Elections,” and “Trial by Jury.”
Repository: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions: No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

W. Eugene Smith (1918-1978) defined a new style of photojournalism in the 1940s and early 1950s through photo-essays such as Man of Mercy, Country Doctor, Spanish Village, and Nurse Midwife published in LIFE magazine. Smith brought the viewer closer to the subjects of his image which dominate the frame. As well, his images displayed a critical and perceptive humanism. Smith wrote that, "My principle concern is for honesty, above all honesty with myself …" His final work, Minamata (1975), produced in collaboration with his second wife, is an essay in photographs and words of the tragic effect of mercury pollution on this small fishing village in Japan.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Smith photographed for local newspapers before moving to New York city in 1936 and working for Newsweek. He soon switched to Life where he made a name for himself during WWII in the Pacific Theater. Smith was unhappy with his lack of input into creative decisions at Life and he left in 1954. In 1955 he joined the Magnum photo agency. He worked on a variety of projects including a photographic documentary of Pittsburgh, the Jazz Loft Project, and, his images which show the tragic effects of Mercury poisoning of a small fishing village, Minamata, by the Chisso Company. Smith was savagely beaten in 1972, probably by employees of the Chisso Company. He moved to Arizona in 1974, and published Minamata in 1975. He died of a stroke in 1978.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Life magazine began in 1883 as a limited-circulation humor magazine. Henry Luce purchased the rights to the name in 1936 and changed the magazine to become America's first weekly news magazine devoted to photojournalism. Life dominated the market for 40 years selling more than 13.5 million copies a week at its peak. In the 1960s, however, due to competition from television, circulation declined and in 1972 the magazine stoped publishing as a weekly.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The W. Eugene Smith collection consists of 71 black and white prints from the Life magazine photo archive. The images include: actors, artists, authors, and musicians such as Charlie Chaplin, Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, Henry Fonda, and Bruno Walter; Smith's daughter Juanita; WWII Pacific Theatre and Pearl Harbor Naval Yard views; New Mexico images from Taos and Santa Fe; scenes from plays including A Sleep of Prisoners, Edward, My Son, 20th Century, and The Green Pastures; and selected shots from his photo essays such as, “Bowery Bum of the Month, British Pre-Elections, Senator Robert A. Taft” and “Trial by Jury.” These photographs are located in the Special Collection's vault.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

These photographs are under copyright by the Smith Family, and SCA will only provide copies for educational and "fair use" uses. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the W. Eugene Smith photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Photograph Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: USU_P0620; W. Eugene Smith photograph collection; Photograph Collections Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_P0620, USUSCA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Processing Note

Processed in March of 2017.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	1-01	A Sleep of Prisoners - Shadrac, Meshac, Abednego are enacted in one of the dreams by Adams, King and Able. Thrust into a fiery furnace, they find that only loyatly to each other can save them from destruction. Published in LIFE on 11-12-1951.	1951
1	1-02	Admiral Ernest King talks to unidentified man at Isely Field, Saipan, Japan. Published in LIFE on 7-09-1956.	1944
1	1-03	Age of Exploration, Zuni, New Mexico: Aerial view of land and housing with horses.	1948
1	1-04	American G.I.s treating wounded combat dog during WWII action on the Orote Peninsula.	1944
1	1-05	Bowery Bum of the Month - Man trying on jacket.	1948
1	1-06	Senator Robert A. Taft at Stassen headquarters. Published in LIFE on 5-03-1948.	1948
1	1-07	Actor Henry Fonda as Charles Gray, dealing with his family that all have different expectations of him, in a scene from "Point Of No Return." Published in LIFE on 1-07-1952.	1952
1	1-08	Actor Paul Muni and actress Joan Wetmore appearing in a scene from a production on the TV show "Philco Playhouse." Published in LIFE on 12-06-1948. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 12-20-1948.	1948
1	1-09	Alfred Schweitzer's hospital village – bird flying, Africa.	1954
1	1-10	American Sherman tank of Army 7th Division using specially equipped flamethrower to burn the Japanese defenders out of their caves and pillboxes in preparation for an infantry assault during the fight to take Okinawa.	1945
1	1-11	British Elections - Commie with huge chalk mark writes his protest against Socialism outside St. Andrew Hall, Glasgow, UK.	1950
1	1-12	British Pre-elections - Miners in UK.	1950
1	1-13	English play on Broadway "Edward, My Son" - Robert Morley as father, plays epilogue before closed curtain. Published in LIFE on 10-18-1948.	1948
1	1-14	Japanese Village - the little boy racing around the outside of the human ring is "it," Japan. Published in LIFE (Overseas Edition) on 11-06-1944.	1944
1	1-15	Plaster models of work by sculptor Elie Nadelman on shelves of his studio.	1948
1	1-16	Political Ohio - Robert Taft in Ohio - Businessman Louis Hildreth of Columbus has "always been interested in Sen. Taft" now doing campaign work for him. Published in LIFE on 11-28-1949. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 12-19-1949.	1949
1	1-17	Portrait of W. Eugene Smith's daughter Juanita eating cake with her dolls, NY. Published in LIFE on 9-21-1953	1953
1	1-18	Portrait of W. Eugene Smith's daughter Juanita holding her dolls, NY. Published in LIFE on 9-21-1953.	1953
1	1-19	Princeton Univ. bellmaster Arthur Bigelow tightening bolts on bells in Cleveland Tower. Princeton, NJ. Published in LIFE on 5-02-1949. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 5-23-1949.	1949
1	1-20	Santa Fe Essay - Churchyard near Taos, New Mexico.	1947
1	1-21	Santa Fe Essay - Mountains.	1947
1	1-22	Santa Fe Essay: Pueblo Indians walking at San Ildefonso.	1947
1	1-23	Trial by jury: Jurors taking a break.	1948
1	1-24	Trial by jury: The jury. Published in LIFE (Promotion) on 6-26-1951.	1948
1	1-25	Actress Brenda Lewis as Salome in an opera for the City Center Opera Company.	1947
1	1-26	American soldiers carrying casualty on stretcher during WWII action on Orote Peninsula.	1944
1	1-27	Battle Iwo Jima - Plane flying over two palms on ground.	1945
1	1-28	Conductor Bruno Walter and violinist Joseph Szigeti listen to a recording of Beethoven's violin concerto they have just recorded. Published in LIFE (Promotion) on 3-26-1951.	1947
1	1-28a	Conductor Bruno Walter and violinist Joseph Szigeti listen to a recording of Beethoven's violin concerto they have just recorded.	1947
1	1-29	Listening to the recording of Beethoven's violin concerto Walter and Szigeti pay close attention. Published in LIFE (Promotion) on 3-26-1951. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 10-22-1951.	1947
1	1-30	Dead soldier lying near road as American soldiers gather near jeep during WWII action on Orote Peninsula.	1944
1	1-31	George Szell, head swinging from side to side in time to music, listens to his Cleveland Symphony Orchestra recording of Bedrich Smetana's "The Moldau". Published in LIFE (Promotion) on 3-26-1951. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 10-22-1951.	1947
1	1-32	Gregor Piatigorsky makes a recording of Brahms violoncello sonata. Published in LIFE (Promotion) on 3-26-1951. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 10-22-1951.	1947
1	1-33	Medic treating wounded American soldier during WWII action on Orote Peninsula.	1944
1	1-34	Pearl Harbor: Sailboat in the waters off Pearl Harbor.	1945
1	1-35	Play "20th Century" starring Gloria Swanson as Lily and Jose Ferrer as Oscar - Lily hurls magazines after Oscar tells her she belongs in burlesque show. Published in LIFE (Promotion) on 2-19-1951.	1951
1	1-36	Santa Fe Essay: End of Comanche war dance at San Ildefonso.	1947
1	1-37	American soldiers in Guam.	1944
1	1-38	Battle of Iwo Jima – Meat-grounder "hill" above marines battlefield. Published in LIFE (Overseas Edition) on 4-09-1945.	1945
1	1-39	Casualties lying dead during WWII action on Orote Peninsula.	1944
1	1-40	Danish tenor Aksel Schi°tz (R) singing.	1948
1	1-41	Director Elia Kazan and playwright Arthur Miller sitting on Broadway set of "Death of a Salesman." Published in LIFE on 2-21-1949. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 3-14-1949.	1949
1	1-42	Goethe Festival - Eero Saarinen, designer for Aspen Festival, CO.	1949
1	1-43	Lake Music Festival - Folk singers singing, NC.	1947
1	1-44	Lenticular clouds form over mountains where currents of moist air are thrust aloft cooling and condensing as they ascent, Taos, NM. Published in LIFE (Promotion) on 6-08-1953.	1953
1	1-45	Monsanto's Operation: Vacuum cleaner tests detergent to see if it will be affected when blown through factory pipes. Published in LIFE (Promotion) on 1-05-1953. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 10-22-1951.	1952
1	1-46	Robert Morley as fanatical father throttles his wife Peggy Ashcroft when she threatens to get a divorce and take his son away from him in the play "Edward, My Son." Published in LIFE on 10-18-1948. Published in LIFE 50th Anniversary Issue.	1948
1	1-47	Santa Fe Essay - Carved wood of Christ in Museum of Anthropology at Santa Fe, NM.	1947
1	1-48	Smoke rising from US artillery and naval bombardment of Japanese positions during the US invasion of Saipan. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 7-17-1944.	1944
1	1-49	The Green Pastures - Noah and his family stand on the Ark as the deluge begins while skeptical sinners raise their umbrellas expecting only a shower. Published in LIFE on 4-16-1951.	1951
1	1-50	Trial by jury: The State vs. Bowers - Men in restaurant eating.	1948
1	1-51	US Marine Terry Moore stopping to scrape mud from his clothes with a knife during a lull in the fight to take Okinawa. Published in LIFE on 06-18-1945.	1945
1	1-52	Washington Square Essay - Woman artist at work in Washington Square studio, NY.	1948
1	1-53	Civilian worker sandblasts the hull of a tanker in dry-dock in Pearl Harbor Navy Yard.	1945
1	1-54	Dr. George Gallup standing behind his desk.	1948
1	1-55	Editor Ernest Amos of the Sidney News, a staunch Democrat, will recall Robert Taft's friendliness, may not come out strongly against him next year, OH. Published in LIFE on 11-28-1949. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 9-19-1949.	1949
1	1-56	Edmuth, 46, of Sioux City, Iowa, works as an electrician in the Electrical Shop of Pearl Harbor Navy Yard.	1945
1	1-57	In Ohio countryside near Lucas, Senator Robert Taft thinks over his big problem - how to win back the all important farm vote that has gone over to the Democrats, OH. Published in LIFE on 11-28-1949. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 9-19-1949.	1949
1	1-58	In Sidney, Robert Taft talks to Republican audience. They found he had become "a lot less like a school teacher", OH. Published in LIFE on 11-28-1949. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 12-19-1949.	1949
1	1-59	Japanese Village – This child is going home with her bucket of water, Japan. Published in LIFE (overseas edition) on 11-06-1944.	1944
1	1-60	LCVPs & LCTs in Pearl Harbor. Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel and Landing Ship, Tank	1945
1	1-61	LST's are loaded. Landing Ship, Tank	1945
1	1-62	Pearl Harbor Navy Housing area where civilian workers in the yard live.	1945
1	1-63	Santa Fe Essay - Children at campsite with tents, NM.	1947
1	1-64	Santa Fe Essay - Pecos Valley Store, NM. Published in LIFE Promotion on 5-14-1951.	1947
1	1-65	Santa Fe Essay - Christ wood carving, NM.	1947
1	1-66	Santa Fe Essay - Sunset on highway between Roswell and Santa Fe, NM.	1947
1	1-67	Chaplin at work - On tennis court Chaplin charges after drop shot. A left-hander, he plays a fast, stubborn game, has a very strong foreground, is happiest when he can put the ball away on the first volley. During film shooting he played Sundays. Published in LIFE on 3-17-1952. Published in LIFE (International Edition) on 4-07-1952.	1952
1	1-68	Japanese Village – Women hoeing sweet potatoes in the community farm, Japan. Published in LIFE (Overseas Edition) on 11-06-1944.	1944
1	1-69	Pearl Harbor Navy Yard- Anti-torpedo nets.	1945
1	1-70	Portrait of W. Eugene Smith's daughter Juanita, holding a cake, NY. Published in LIFE on 9-21-1953.	1953

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