The Family of Man - The Greatest Photographic Exhibition of All Time (Art Photo Edward Steichen)

The Family of Man The greatest photographic exhibition of created by

Edward

all

time

Steichen for the

— 503 pictures from 68 Museum of Modern

Prologue by Carl Sandburg

Art

countries

USA

Wvno

Bullock

And God

said, let there be light

Genesis 1:3

The Family of Man ^he greatest photographic exhibition of all time

created by

Published for (he

Edward

MUSEUM OF MODERN

Steichen for the

ART,

NEW

YORK, by

Coijyrigfil 195'i

t>\

the

t/if

— 503 pictures from 68 Museum of Modern Art

MACO MAGAZINE CORPORATION,

Musi-um

«/

Modern Art

480 Lexington Avenue,

New

York

countries

!

Prolo^UG bv '-'

-^

Carl Sandburg

^^^

^^^ °^ ^

^'*''

Rangoon, has •

belong!

Many

I

am

newborn baby

same

the

a

member

the babies and

in

Chicago or Zainboango, in Amsterdam or

and key, each saying.

pitch

"I

am

I

!

have come through

of the Family."

grownups here from photographs made

in sixty-eight

nations round our planet Earth. You travel and see what the camera saw.

wonder

of

human mind,

self saying.

"Tm

heart, wit

The

You might catch your-

instinct, is here.

not a stranger here."

People! flung wide and

among

and

far,

born into

struggle, blood

toil,

and dreams,

lovers, eaters, drinkers, workers, loafers, fighters, players, gamblers.

Here are ironworkers, bridgemen. musicians, sandhogs. miners, builders of huts and skyscrapers, jungle hunters, landlords and the landless, the loved and

and abandoned, the brutal and the compassionate— one

the unloved, the lonely

big faniilv hugging close to the ball of Earth for

Here or there you may witness will

be haunting

me

crime, sacrifice, here

to

losers, in a

the People, the one

is

say.

"This

understand better."

womb

of super-

and only source

work-gangs, the living flowing breath of the history of

navies,

by the

nations, ever lighted

realit\

or illusion of hope.

Hope

is

a sustaining

gift.

Everywhere to

hope

I

and sinners, winners or

In a seething of saints

human

harmony where you

a long time with a loveliness

stition, faith, genius,

of armies,

a startling

and being.

its life

is

and love-making, weddings and babies from generation

love

generation keeping the Family of

moon and

the sun.

Though meanings read what sk\

stars, the climates

vary,

we

are alike in

land and sea sa) to

.

Man

us.

alive

and continuing. Everywhere

and weathers, have meanings for people. couiitries

all

and tribes in trying to

Alike and ever alike

we

are on

all

conti-

nents in the need of love, food, clothing, work, speech, worship, sleep, games,

dancing, fun. so inexorably

From

tropics to arctics

humanity

lives

with these needs so alike,

alike.

Hands here, hands gnarled as thorntree roots and others soft as faded rose Hands reaching, praying and groping, hands holding tools, torches, brooms, fishnets, hands doubled in fists of flaring anger, hands moving in caress of beloved faces. The hands and feet of children playing ring-aroundleaves.

a-rosy— countries and languages different but the

little

ones alike

in

playing

same game.

the

Here are

and

babies arriving, suckling, growing into youths restless

set forth

Then

(juestioniiig.

as

grownups they seek and hope. They mate.

quarrel, sing, fight, pray, on earliest

man. ages ago, had

all

tools,

and meridians having

parallels

weapons,

cattle, as

toil. fish,

likeness.

The

seen in his cave drawings.

And like him the latest man of our day has his tools, weapons, cattle. The earliest man struggled through inexpressibly dark chaos of hunger, fear, violence, sex. A long journey it has been from that early Family of Man to the one of today which has become a

H

the

human

face

fateful registrations. tell

still

is

more prodigious

spectacle.

"the masterpiece of

God"

it

is

here then in a thousand

Often the faces speak what words can never sa\.

Some

of eternity and others only the latest tattlings. Child faces of blossom smiles

or mouths of hunger are followed bv homely faces of majesty carved and worn

bv

love,

in a late

praver and hope, along with others

light

summer wind. Faces having land and

morning sun flooding wondering where

to

go

and carefree as thistledown

sea on them, faces honest as the

a clean kitchen with light, faces this afternoon or

crooked and

tomorrow morning. Faces

in

lost

and

crowds.

f^^^^

'i

-^jfy^i^i^'^r-iuwHp«!**?i^i

laughing and windblown leaf faces, profiles in an instant of agony, mouths in a

dumbshow mockery

pain, a hate ready to

lacking speech, faces of music in gay song or a twist of

kill,

or calm and ready-for-death faces.

worth a long look now and deep contemplation

later.

Some

of

them are

Faces betokening a serene

blue sky or faces dark with storm winds and lashing night rain. And faces beyond forgetting, written over with faiths in men and dreams of man sur-

passing himself. ing

human

An

alphabet here and a nmltiplication table of living breath-

faces.

In the times to

come

as the past there will be generations taking hold as

though loneliness and the genius of struggle has always dwelt pioneers.

To the question, "What

across the near or far future?"

will the story

some would

reply.

in the hearts of

be of the Family of

"For the answers read

if

Man you

can the strange and baffling eyes of youth."

There

and

There

only one

is

his

name

is

is

only one

and her name There

and

is

is

man

All

in the

world

Men.

woman

All

in the

world

Women.

only one child in the world

the child's

name

is

All Children.

A camera testament, a drama of the grand canyon of humanity, an epic woven of fun, mystery and holiness— here is the Family of Man!

QuJ

SctU ^luA^i ^

-^

Introduction by

Edward

Steichen

I

believe

Museum world,

of

is

The Family of Man exhibition, produced and shown first at Modern Art in New York and now being circulated throughout

the the

the most ambitious and challenging project photography has ever

attempted.

The

exhibition,

now permanently presented on

demonstrates that the art of photography to ideas

and of explaining

man

to

man.

the pages of this book,

dynamic process of giving form

is

a

It

was conceived as a mirror of the

universal elements and emotions in the everydayness of the essential oneness of

We

life

from birth

to death with

to himself, to his familv. to the

life

— as

a mirror of

the world.

sought and selected photographs, made in

gamut of

man

mankind throughout

all

parts of the world, of the

emphasis on the daily relationships of

community and

to the

world we

live

in-

subject matter ranging from babies to philosophers, from the kindergarten

from primitive peoples to the Councils of the United Nations. Photographs of lovers and marriage and child-bearing, of the family unit with its jovs. trials and tribulations, its deep-rooted devotions and its antagonisms.

to the university,

Photographs of the home in all its warmth and magnificence, its heartaches and exaltations. Photographs of the individual and the familv unit in its re-

''s

photograph of the entrance

and continuing on through death and

actions to the beginnings of life

Photographs concerned with man

in relation to his

good and the great

things, the stupid

and the destructive

Photographs concerned with the religious rather than

human

Rudolph wos the architec

burial.

environment, to the beauty

and richness of the earth he has inherited and what he has done with inheritance, the

into the enhibit. Paul

religions.

this

things.

With basic

consciousness rather than social consciousness. Photographs concerned

with man's dreams and aspirations and photographs of the flaming creative forces of love and truth and the corrosive evil inherent in the

lie.

For almost three years we have been searching for these images. Over two million photographs from every corner of the earth have come to us — from individuals, collections,

Then came from

6(5

files.

We

screened them until we had ten thousand.

them — 273 men

The photographers who tooic and professionals, famed and unknowTi.

countries.

are amateurs

of

and

the almost unbearable task of reducing these to .503 photographs

and

All of this could not

have been accomplished without the dedicated

mv

Miller,

a.ssistant,

The Family and

faith in

Wavne

of

Man

and the

tireless

devotion of our

Caroline Hommarskioltj

women — efforts

staff.

has been created in a passionate spirit of devoted love

man.

i

i

Chino. Dmirri Kessel

Liie

.

.

.

and then I asked him with my

and then he asked me would I yes

eyes to ask again yes

.

.

.

and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down

and

his heart

to

me

was going

and yes res I said yes res I

so he could feel

like

my

breasts all

perfume yes

mad

will Yes. James Joyce

England. Ralph Morse

life

liaiv.

Gotthard Schuh

New

»-

-rf^v...

Guinea

Laurence LeGuay

U.S.A. Roy

U.S.A. Louis Faurer

Oe Carav(

i^

cJfI''^ '!' ^ 'f'

'

I*'

France. Robert Ootsneau

Ffonce

10

Pobert Doisneou

^

'^'

^^

^'

Rapfio

^ ^^ ^^^''

''

^"^

^

'

'

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f'

^

f

GuiHumeHe

Rapho GuiUumette

USA.

Lou Bernsiein

U.S.A. Ernst Haos

Mognum

U.S.A. Louis Foufer

*

•#•.1

^*.*~

^•-/^^^

France. Robert Ooisneau

Ropho Gutllumette

U

12

S A.

David Linlon

m^

i

mi

-'-^•St ^'iS'ijSil^J

We

Czechoslovakm. Ruberi L-^uu

shall be one person

Puebio Indian

/.:Lj_g.:u;..

75

^r^

~

'

-;*/HV"'

M^^^'"f^tK/^

Mexico.

Wayne

Miller

Life

17

'}

.ajA*V''^-"i*«,

^m :'i^^

I

1/

U.S.A. Dorolhea Longe

When

I

am

a man, then I shall be a hunter

When

I

am

a man, then I shall be a harpooner

When

I

am

a man, then I shall be a eanoe-builder

When

I

am

a man, then I shall be a carpenter

When

I

am

a man, then I shall be an artisan

Oh father ! ya ha ha ha Kwakiutl Indian

50

-=

V

r'-

m

H.',i,,„,r,,,i.,r,.j

rial

(orbition

(.

5/

Jamoica,

Brirish

West

U.S.S.R. A. Uzlyan

1

Indies.

Sovfoto

George

Silk

Lile

U.S.A. Bob Jokobsen

Los Ange/es Trmes

U.S.A. Dione and Allon Arbus

Vogue

USA

Moftho Kitchen

IVith all beings

and

all things ive shall he as relatives Sioux Indian

55

Sicily. Vito

56

Fiorenza

i

Jopon,

Carl Mydans

Li7e

57

Bechuonolond. Nor Farbman

58

Life

U.J A. N:na Leen

L./e

59

United Stares Depr. of rhe

New

Inte.

Zealand, George Silt

Kenya. Charles Trieschmonn

Before

me peaceful,

Behind me peaceful. Under me peaceful. Over me peaceful, All around 60

me peaceful

.

Navajo Indian

Li/e

U.S.A.

Bechuonoland. Not Forbman

Life

Homer Page

U.S.S.R. Robert

Capo

Lodtes'

Home

Journal

61

^

Ht'^r-

The land

is

a mother that never dies Ma

63

nesia. Henri Carrier- Bresson

Jopon. Ihei Kimura

Magnum

Japan. Shizuo

Yomamoto

Italy. Dmifri Kessel

China. Dmitri Kessel

Life

Liie

Irelond

USS.R. Robert Copa

USA. Edword

Clorl

Magnum,

Life

Lodies'

Home

USA.

Journal

U.S.A. Jock Delano

Farm

Secttrily

Loomis Deon

Life

Adm.

Irelord.

G

H Melcalf

Black Srar

mill

S-.-:-

'"i.

^^ '"^^^^^

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«=;.

v>? .-tf^

69

USA. Todd Webb

Slanda(d Oil o(

New

Jersey

^«i«j iiSb..

{

Denmork Wermund Bendtsen

ilgian

72

Congo

Dmitri Kessel

Life

U.S.A. Ernst Hoos

Bofivio,

Guslov Thorlichen

Magnum, Argosy

U.S.A.

Homer Poge

Germany. Wolter Sanders

Argosy

elgion Congo. Lennort Nilsion

bloik Sioi

L

U.S.A. Roy De Carava

73

Bolivio.

Marcos Chomude^

Magnum

U.S. A

Homer Page

U.S A. Corl Mvdons

Germanv- August Sonder

Argosy

Li/e

74 Wales, Frank Scherschel

Lile

U.S.A. Sfeinheimer

L-fe

'-

If I did not work, these worlds

would perish Bhagavad-Gita

I

China. Dmitri Kessel

U.S A, Allan Grant

Life

Life

U.S.A.

Wovne

Miller

L/(e

U.S.A. Gjon Mill

78

Fortune

U.S.A. Russell Lee

Farm Secunty Adm,

Bless thee in all the work of thy

hand which thou

doest.

Deuteronomy 14:29

)

79

'I

Palesiine

David Duticon

Liie

Austria. Emit

USA.

Dorothea

Lai

USA.

Holland. Evo Besnyo

Obrovsky

Simpson Kalisher

Scope. The fexos Co.

p^

i 1

:

french Equatorial Africa. George Rodger

Magnum

'

v.

Peru. Pierre Verger

86

Adep

vory Coos). Ruth Davis

Ropho GuiUvmetfe

-Si-

^;v.

i

1

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A

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r

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Eat Bread and Salt and Speak the Truth. Russian Proverb

Yugoslavia. Walrer Sonders

Lite

Sicily. Vito

Fiorenzo

89

Germany- Rudolf Pollak

Inslilul lur BlfdfOurnofismus

France. Hons A. Schreiner

Belgian Congo. Lennorl Nilsion

1

AusFfio. Leopold Fischer

Slack Slat

France. Henri Cartier-Bresson

Magnum

France. Brossor

Rapho Guiliumette

HomeURGERS

^6li;ij^i:i^'?i':'^*-¥- -*^*^£^'^'-"^" '- ti--.^!Ciaw';t^u^i>ia;^>««WBBs:s

New

York. Robert Frank

Jopan. Yoshisuke Terao

Belgian Congo. Lennarr Ntlsson

Block Star

91

92

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-,«

t >-?1;-t'

,A^. -•cr-:"^l^'

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Roumonio. Werner Bischof

Magnum

Clasp the hands

us

France. Vero

94

Vue

A, Jerry

Cooke

Life

and know

Robert

Copo

Japan.

Magnum Gorky, U.S.S.R.

he thoughts

of men

Hiroshi

Homayo

Sovfolo

in other lands

.

•

.

John Masefield

China. Dmitri Kessel

Life

hroel. United Notioni

95 ain.

Ralph Morse

Lite

—

:5r

Sing, sweetness, to the last palpitation of the evening

and

the breeze St. -John

Perse

97

U.S.A. BorbofQ

U.S.S.R- N, Kolli

Sovfoto

Morgan

U.S.A.

Sam

Folk

New

yorik

Times

Fronce. Robert Doisneau

U.S-A

Bradley Smifh

Rapho

Gitilfumetle

U.S.A. Soi Libsohn

Ladjes'

Home

Journal

sgpCr

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Japan. Werner Bischof

Music and rhythm find

their

Magnum

way

into the secret places

of the

soul. Plato

USA,

Gion Mill

U.S.A. Gion Mill

l..(e

Uruguay. Leonard

McCombe

iile

101

U.S.A. Roy de Carava

U.S.A. Ed Feingersh

holy. John Berlolino

102

P,x

U.S.A.

Hugh

Bell

U.S.A. Ed Ffinqersh

Popular Photography

I-

U.S.A. Bob Willoughby

.

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Life

Chicogo Froncis Miller

Lt/e

U.S.A. Musva S. Sheelei

Chevv Chase, Md., U.S.A. Edward Clark

Liie

Jones Beach, U.S.A. Leonord

McCombe

Lite

119

Bechuonolond. Not Farbmar

Czechoslovakio. Alfred Eisen^raeai

But such that all

it

is

the irresistible nature

asks,

and

all

it

wants,

of is

truth.

the liberty

of appearing. Thomas Paine

Lii

Italy.

Palestine

John Phillips

David Seymour

Life

Mognum,

UNESCO

Polond.

Romon Vishnioc

India.

J.

De Ptetro

Lodies'

Home

Journof

Univ. of California.

U.S.A. Rurh Orkin

G/amou

Otfo Hagei

fortune

England. Esther Bubley

Lile

Theologian, Burma. Berf Hardy

.

.

.

Pix, Pictoie PosJ

the wise

man

looks into space,

and does not regard

the small as too

for he knows that there

is

no

little,

nor the great as too big;

limit to dimensions. Lao-tse

724

Institute for

Advanced Study, Princeton. Eisenstoed'

Allentown, Po, Nino Leen

Lile

Life

Institute for

Advonced Study, Princeton.

Ernst

Hoos

Magnum, Vogue

125

U.S.A. Andreas Feininger

Lite

U.S.A.

Inst, for

Advonced Study, Princeton.

Fijen;'a>.d

W. Eugene Smith

Life

Rodiotion Laboratory, Univ. of Cal., Nat Forbmon

Life

Germany. Olto Hage

U.S.A. Ernst Haas

Magnum

Every man beareth the whole stamp of the human condition. France. Brossai

128

Pop^c Ou:lhimelle

USA,

Alfred Eisenstoedl

Lile

Montaigne

U.S.A.

Woyne

Miller

U.S.A. Dofolheo Lange

forfune

US

A Ho.fv Callaha

US. A. W.

C. Rouhauser

1 130

^U.S.A. Roy

De Corova

U.S.A. Henri Carrier-Bresson

Magnum

U,S A, Homer Page

U.S.A. Ed^vQtd

Weiton

England. Bert Hardy

Picture Pos(

U.S.A. Carl Perutz

U.S.A. Dorothea Lang©

Fortune

San Francisco. Ruth Marion Boruch

France. Fred Plout

Sweden. Pal-NiK Nils^on

England Cornell Capo

Life

Norrh Carolino, U.L..A. U-v>%.^M'

^ ^

:>v

4'

s^

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Sweden. Karl W. Cullers

Flow, flow, flow, the current of

Spain. Robert Frank

life is

ever

onward

.

.

.

Kobodaishi

U.S.A. Rondol Partridge

Germany. Mildred Grossmon

^

ierry

Cooke

Life

I

144

am

alone with the beating of

my

heart ...

Lui chi

I

U.S.A. Louis Clyde Sroumen

Peru. Roberr Frank

India.

146

Margofcl Bourko-White

Life

For Mercy has a human Pity a

heart.

human face .... William Blake

147

U.S.A.

148

W. Eugene

Smith

L.le

Korea. U.S. Signal Corps, Al Chong

Jamoica. George

Silk

Lile

Greece. D. Horrissiode^

Liie

Indio. Gitel

Steed

U.S.A. Ben Shohn

Farm Security Adm.

What 150

region of the earth

is

not full of our calamities?

virgii

U.S.A. Doris Ulmann

U.S.A. Dorolheo Large

:m; •'-

«^^^'^^*"^Holland. Cos Oorlhuvs

.

.

.

Nothing

is

real to us but hunger.

Kakuzo okakur

India.

Williom Vandivefl Chino. George

India.

Werner

Sillt

Blschof

Indie. Constontin Joff£

152

Arctic. Richard Horrinolon

Life

Lile

Magnum Vogue

Three Lions

'-^""•'mmmm-

^ <

**\ \

v\;

V

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€

I

Woles. Robert Frank

Behold,

U.S.A. Nell

Don

this

dreamer cometh

Genesis 37 19 :

U.S.A.

Homer Page

To know that what

U.S.A. EMiorr Er.vlir

156

Magnum. Holiday

is

impenetrable

to

us really exists, manifesting

itself

as the highest

wisdom and

the most radiant beauty

Albert Einstein

Ffonce. Henri Caftier-Bresson

Portugal. Sabine Weiss

^

Ropho

Guillvineit

Magnum

Czechoslovakia. Morgorel Bourke-White

i-i(e

England.

Burma. Bert Hardy

Bill

Brandl

Pix, Picture Post

U.S.A. Doris Ulmann

Colombia. Ronnv Joques

160

Town & Country

Korea. Margaret Bourke-Whi(e

Life

161

us. A. Consuelo Kanago

U.S.A. A. Morshak

U.S. Slale Depl.

(

I

/ U.S. A

Poul

USA.

Esther Bublev

Still

Hrmmel

todies'

Home

iauinal

US. A. Margery Lewis

Sevenfeen

believe that people are

Soulh Africa. Constance Stuarf

really

good

Black Stat

USA,

Tona Hoban

Rapho GuillumeUe

Englond, Eslher Bubley

Lite

at heart.

Anne Frank, "Diary" (14 years

old)

Moscow, Thomas McAvoy

Yugoslavia. Fenno Jacobs

Life

Black Star

/^

r^^

Vi.

,^1231J

W'

P^

USA

Rolph Clone

You

BlarJ Slat

.

are the

Lite

young wonder-tree

plant,

grown out of

M

ruins.

Baronga -African Folk Taie

'^i^.,

Vv>,

aA-

U

S.A. Ralph

Crone

Germany August Sander

B/ac* Star, L-* ^/^

V

••

^^

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r *^

'/*r-'^'^::

'^

^

Editor: Jerry

Mason

Art Director : Leo Lionni

Art Assistant: Frances Gruse Captions: Dorothy

Norman

Production: Allied Graphic Arts, Inc. Printing: R. R. Donnelley & Sons

Theme photograph

Company

of Piper by Eugene Harris, "Popular Photography"

Inside front cover by Lick Observatory i:

'ie

Pir

by

hack cover by Cedric Wright

Ubl!.-.d t'!

480

ioi the

Museum

Ma CO Magazine

Le. ington

/.

-nue.

of

Modern

Art,

Corporation,

New

York 17, N.

Y.

New York