Beaumont Newhall
Encyclopedia
Beaumont Newhall was an influential curator
, art historian, writer
, and photographer. His The History of Photography remains one of the most significant accounts in the field and has become a classic photo history textbook. Newhall was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for his accomplishments in the study of photo history.
on June 22, 1908. Some of his earliest childhood memories revolved around photography. He recalled watching his mother in her darkroom as she developed her own glass plate images as well as dipping his fingers into the chemical trays to see what they tasted like.
Although Newhall wanted to study film and photography in college, the subjects were not being taught as separate disciplines when he enrolled at Harvard University
. Instead, he chose to study art history and museum studies.
While at Harvard, Newhall was greatly influenced by his instructor Paul J. Sachs
. In 1931, after receiving his Master's Degree from Harvard, Sachs helped Newhall obtain a position as lecturer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
in Philadelphia.
Newhall continued his graduate studies at the Institute of Art and Archaeology of the University of Paris, and the Courtauld Institute of Art
in London
. He worked briefly for the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York and the Massachusetts branch of the Public Works Administration
. Because of financial difficulties during the Depression, Newhall was not able to devote himself to his doctoral studies, and eventually accepted a position at the Museum of Modern Art
as a stable source of income.
began in 1935 when he became its librarian. In 1937, he was invited by Alfred Barr Jr.
, the director of MOMA, to develop the first comprehensive retrospective of photographic works. The exhibition that Newhall mounted was pivotal in securing photography's place within the arts. Its accompanying catalog, The History of Photography, was the first account of the first 100 years of photographic history that gave equal credit to its technical virtues, as well as its value as an art form.
In 1940, Newhall became the first director of MOMA's photography department.
from 1948 to 1958, then its director from 1958 to 1971. While at the Eastman House, Newhall was responsible for amassing one of the greatest photographic collections in the world.
, a notable photography critic who worked in his place as curator at MOMA during his service in World War II.
The private research collection of Beaumont and Nancy Newhall was donated to the College of Santa Fe
and has become the core of the college's Beaumont and Nancy Newhall Library.
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
, art historian, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and photographer. His The History of Photography remains one of the most significant accounts in the field and has become a classic photo history textbook. Newhall was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for his accomplishments in the study of photo history.
Childhood and Education
Beaumont Newhall was born in Lynn, MassachusettsLynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
on June 22, 1908. Some of his earliest childhood memories revolved around photography. He recalled watching his mother in her darkroom as she developed her own glass plate images as well as dipping his fingers into the chemical trays to see what they tasted like.
Although Newhall wanted to study film and photography in college, the subjects were not being taught as separate disciplines when he enrolled at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Instead, he chose to study art history and museum studies.
While at Harvard, Newhall was greatly influenced by his instructor Paul J. Sachs
Paul J. Sachs
Paul Sachs was Harvard associate director of the Fogg Art Museum, a partner in the financial firm Goldman Sachs and the developer of one of the early museum studies courses in the United States.-History:...
. In 1931, after receiving his Master's Degree from Harvard, Sachs helped Newhall obtain a position as lecturer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
in Philadelphia.
Newhall continued his graduate studies at the Institute of Art and Archaeology of the University of Paris, and the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He worked briefly for the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York and the Massachusetts branch of the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
. Because of financial difficulties during the Depression, Newhall was not able to devote himself to his doctoral studies, and eventually accepted a position at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
as a stable source of income.
The Museum of Modern Art
Newhall's career at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
began in 1935 when he became its librarian. In 1937, he was invited by Alfred Barr Jr.
Alfred Barr
Alfred Hamilton Barr, Jr. , known as Alfred H. Barr, Jr., was an American art historian and the first director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City...
, the director of MOMA, to develop the first comprehensive retrospective of photographic works. The exhibition that Newhall mounted was pivotal in securing photography's place within the arts. Its accompanying catalog, The History of Photography, was the first account of the first 100 years of photographic history that gave equal credit to its technical virtues, as well as its value as an art form.
In 1940, Newhall became the first director of MOMA's photography department.
George Eastman House
Newhall served as curator of the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman HouseGeorge Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
from 1948 to 1958, then its director from 1958 to 1971. While at the Eastman House, Newhall was responsible for amassing one of the greatest photographic collections in the world.
The Newhall Library
Beaumont Newhall married Nancy WynneNancy Newhall
Nancy Wynne Newhall was an American photography critic. She is best known for writing the text to accompany photographs by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, but was also a widely published writer on photography, conservation, and American culture.Newhall was born Nancy Wynne in Lynn, Massachusetts,...
, a notable photography critic who worked in his place as curator at MOMA during his service in World War II.
The private research collection of Beaumont and Nancy Newhall was donated to the College of Santa Fe
College of Santa Fe
Santa Fe University of Art and Design is an institution of creative and performing arts based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The university offers programs in creative writing, theatre, art, graphic design, moving image arts , music, and photography, based on a liberal arts core curriculum...
and has become the core of the college's Beaumont and Nancy Newhall Library.
Cookery writer
Newhall wrote a weekly cookery column for the local New York paper, the Brighton-Pittsford Post from 1956-69. A collection of his writings and recipes was published in 2009 as Beaumont's Kitchen.External links
- Beaumont Newhall, a portrait by Ansel Adams
- Oral history interview with Beaumont Newhall, 1965 Jan. 23 in Smithsonian Archives of American Art
- Beaumont Newhall: The History of Photography (video)
- Beaumont Newhall in Museum of Contemporary PhotographyMuseum of Contemporary PhotographyThe Museum of Contemporary Photography was founded in 1984 by Columbia College Chicago. It is well known for an active program and curating which discovers many emerging and mid-career artists...
- Entry on Newhall at Dictionary of Art Historians
- Beaumont and Nancy Newhall papers, 1843-1993. Getty Research Institute. Los Angeles, California The archive documents the work of Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, two key figures in the history of photography, through correspondence, extensive research files, published and unpublished writings, and photographs, slides and audiotapes.