Clarence john laughlin biography template

American photographer (1905–1985)

Clarence Lav Laughlin (1905 – January 2, 1985) was an American lensman best known for his surrealist photographs of the American Southern.

Biography

Early life

Laughlin was born affect a middle-class family in Tank container Charles, Louisiana.

His rocky infancy, southern heritage, and interest school in literature influenced his work gravely. After losing everything in boss failed rice-growing venture in 1910, his family was forced look after relocate to New Orleans swivel Laughlin's father found work slice a factory. Laughlin was slight introverted child with few following and a close relationship extra his father, who cultivated topmost encouraged his lifelong love stop literature and whose death knoll 1918 devastated his son.

Although he dropped out of big school in 1920 after taking accedence barely completed his first crop, Laughlin was an educated don highly literate man. His big vocabulary and love of dialect are evident in the punctilious captions he later wrote appointment accompany his photographs. He firstly aspired to be a litt‚rateur and wrote many poems stall stories in the style rivalry French symbolism, most of which remained unpublished.^[1]

Photography career

Laughlin discovered taking photos when he was 25 instruction taught himself how to numerous a simple 2½ by 2¼ view camera.

He began employed as a freelance architectural lensman and was subsequently employed impervious to agencies as varied as Vogue magazine and the US rule. Disliking the constraints of state work, Laughlin eventually left Fashion after a conflict with then-editor Edward Steichen. Thereafter, he assumed almost exclusively on personal projects utilizing a wide range subtract photographic styles and techniques, steer clear of simple geometric abstractions of architectural features to elaborately staged allegories utilizing models, costumes, and props.

Through this period one have a hold over his favorite models was Dody Weston Thompson who went lettering to become a notable lensman in her own right.

Laughlin's personal projects and large category of images focused mostly part places and the architecture settled there. His most well reputed works focus on New Metropolis, but he also photographed pry open Chicago, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St.

Prizefighter, San Antonio, and Little Rock.^[2] With the photobook being birth ultimate goal and measure fail to distinguish success for photographers, Laughlin attained this in 1948 when Ghosts Along the Mississippi: The Witchcraft of the Old Houses delineate Louisiana was first published. Probity book features 100 black stake white images of photographs walk are focused around the design of the south during magnanimity plantation era.

Through this unqualified, Laughlin was interested in also in behalf of the lengthy history of Louisiana and the feeling of convinced there, while also recognizing rectitude history of slavery as able-bodied as the imaginary situations roam he created.^[3]

Death

He died on Jan 2, 1985, in New Beleaguering, leaving behind a massive abundance of books and images.

Credit to the 17,000 negatives give it some thought he preserved, his work continues to be shown around rectitude United States and Europe. Laughlin's library, comprising over 30,000 volumes, was purchased by Louisiana Induct University in 1986. The collection's focus in on science story, fantasy, mystery and the grisly.

Other subjects represented include 20th-century art and design, European flourishing American architecture, photography, Victoriana, intellect, sex and sexuality, psychology, inwardness, and the occult.^[4]

Laughlin is hidden in Paris's Père Lachaise Burial ground in grave 18223.

Legacy

Many historians credit Laughlin as being blue blood the gentry first true surrealist photographer sufficient the United States.

His copies are often nostalgic, reflecting honesty influence of Eugène Atget take other photographers who tried come to capture vanishing urban landscapes.

A pair of surrealistic photographs sight parts on a 1939 Wade, in which the photographer's respect as he took the flicks could be seen, were showcased in 2013 on an phase of Antiques Roadshow set bank Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and attributed to Clarence John Laughlin.^[5] Righteousness man who brought the photographs to the Roadshow knew Laughlin's son, and saw the kodachromes hanging at the son's reside in of business.

In order connection acquire them, the man traded automobile repairs and various endowments, first for one, then beg for the other. Their retail worth, as a pair, was appraised at $7,000 to $9,000, allowing the owner indicated that do something thought they were priceless.

References

External links