Compassion and the Camera from the Depression to the Cold War

From front flap: “The Photo League of New York (1936-1951) was a non-profit organization of dedicated photographers, both amateur and professional. Most were New Yorkers born between 1900 and 1925, the majority were Jewish, and few were women. No one was well-off, and many were first generation Americans with only public educations.

Despite outside pressures and limitations, the photographers forged ahead n a peculiarly American fashion, improvising when necessary, and education and assisting one another. They wanted to have fun, create art, and change the world in the process. Most members were united in their belief in the social change during what was a tumultuous period in American history.

This social realism was misconstrued in the political climate of the Cold War era and, in 1951, the League was forced to close its doors under pressure from the House of Un-American Activities Committee. By then League members had already amassed a body of work of enduring quality and lasting significance.

This Was the Photo League catalogues a single cohesive collection of photographs by League photographers. Nearly all photographs in the collection are vintage prints, historical documents from the time in which they were taken. This catalogue also presents a new essay by Anne Wilkes Tucker, plus important new compilations of photographer biographies, and listings of Photo League exhibitions, projects, work groups and courses.