Eugene Richards
Encyclopedia
Eugene Richards is a noted American documentary photographer
.
During the 1960s, Richards was a civil rights
activist and VISTA
volunteer. After receiving a BA in English from Northeastern University, his graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
were supervised by photographer Minor White
.
Richards' published photographs are mostly intended as a means of raising social awareness, have been characterized as "highly personal" and are both exhibited and published in a series of books. The first book was Few Comforts or Surprises (1973), a depiction of rural poverty in Arkansas; but it was his second book, the self-published Dorchester Days (1978), a "homecoming" to Dorchester
, Massachusetts, where Richards had grown up, that won most attention. It is "an angry, bitter book", both political and personal. Gerry Badger writes that "[Richards's] involvement with the people he is photographing is total, and he is one of the best of photojournalists in getting that across, often helped by his own prose".
Richards has been a member of Magnum Photos
and of VII
. He lives in New York
.
Documentary photography
Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle significant and historical events. It is typically covered in professional photojournalism, but it may also be an amateur, artistic, or academic pursuit...
.
During the 1960s, Richards was a civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist and VISTA
Volunteers in Service to America
VISTA or Volunteers in Service to America is an anti-poverty program created by Lyndon Johnson's Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 as the domestic version of the Peace Corps. Initially, the program increased employment opportunities for conscientious people who felt they could contribute tangibly to...
volunteer. After receiving a BA in English from Northeastern University, his graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
were supervised by photographer Minor White
Minor White
Minor Martin White was an American photographer born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.White earned a degree in botany with a minor in English from the University of Minnesota in 1933. His first creative efforts were in poetry, as he took five years thereafter to complete a sequence of 100 sonnets while...
.
Richards' published photographs are mostly intended as a means of raising social awareness, have been characterized as "highly personal" and are both exhibited and published in a series of books. The first book was Few Comforts or Surprises (1973), a depiction of rural poverty in Arkansas; but it was his second book, the self-published Dorchester Days (1978), a "homecoming" to Dorchester
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
, Massachusetts, where Richards had grown up, that won most attention. It is "an angry, bitter book", both political and personal. Gerry Badger writes that "[Richards's] involvement with the people he is photographing is total, and he is one of the best of photojournalists in getting that across, often helped by his own prose".
Richards has been a member of Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
and of VII
VII Photo Agency
VII is a photo agency representing 30+ photojournalists, known for its focus on conflict photography. This collective employs a three tier system: members, non-members and mentorees, titles which reflect the level of service and commitment provided by the company to the photographers.VII derives...
. He lives in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Books of Richards's work
- Few Comforts or Surprises: The Arkansas Delta. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1973. ISBN 0262180626.
- Dorchester Days. Wollaston, Mass.: Many Voices Press, 1978. 2nd ed. (revised and expanded). London: Phaidon, 2000. ISBN 0-7148-4001-7.
- With Dorothea Lynch. 50 Hours. New York: Many Voices, 1983. ISBN 0394620232.
- With Dorothea Lynch. Exploding into Life. New York: Aperture in association with Many Voices Press, 1986. ISBN 0893811777.
- Below the Line: Living Poor in America. Mount Vernon, NY: Consumers Union, 1987. ISBN 0890430616 (paperback); ISBN 0890430624 (hardback). Text ed. Christiane Bird, story researched by Janine Altongy.
- The Knife and Gun Club: Scenes from an Emergency Room. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1989. ISBN 0871132559. 2nd ed. 1995.
- With Edward Barnes. Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue. New York: Aperture, 1994. ISBN 0893815438 (hardback), ISBN 0893815640 (paperback). New York: Aperture, 1996. ISBN 0893816876.
- Americans We: Photographs and Notes. New York: Aperture, 1994. ISBN 0893815942.
- Eugene Richards. Photo Poche. Paris: Nathan, 1997.
- Eugene Richards. Phaidon 55. London and New York: Phaidon, 2001. Text by Charles Bowden.
- Stepping through the Ashes. New York: Aperture, 2002. ISBN 1931788014. With interviews by Janine Altongy.
- The Fat Baby. London: Phaidon, 2004. ISBN 071484196X.
- A Procession of Them. University of Texas Press, 2008. ISBN 9780292719101.
- The Blue Room - 2008
Videos of Richards
- Lassiter, Kenneth T., Gary Bechtold, et al. Techniques of the Masters (videoconference, April 18, 1991). 1991.
- Richards, Eugene. Eugene Richards Photographer of the Year. Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak Company, 1991.