W. Eugene Smith | |
---|---|
Born | William Eugene Smith December 30, 1918 Wichita, Kansas, U.S. |
Died | October 15, 1978 Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | (aged 59)
Occupation | Photojournalist |
Years active | 1934–1978 |
Spouse | Carmen Martinez 1941, Aileen Mioko 1971 |
Partner | Sherry Suris 1974 |
Children | Marissa 1942, Juanita, Patric, Kevin 1956 |
William Eugene Smith (December 30, 1918 – October 15, 1978) was an American photojournalist.[1] He has been described as "perhaps the single most important American photographer in the development of the editorial photo essay."[2] His major photo essays include World War II photographs, the visual stories of an American country doctor and a nurse midwife, the clinic of Albert Schweitzer in French Equatorial Africa, the city of Pittsburgh, and the pollution which damaged the health of the residents of Minamata in Japan.[3] His 1948 series, Country Doctor, photographed for Life, is now recognized as "the first extended editorial photo story".[2]