Marion Carpenter
Encyclopedia
Marion A. Carpenter, also known as Marion Anderson (March 6, 1920 – October 29, 2002), was the first woman national press photographer
to cover Washington, D.C.
and the White House
, and to travel with a US President
. She broke the gender role
stereotype
in the 1940s but left Washington in 1949 after her second marriage.
After divorce in 1951, Carpenter returned to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she worked as a nurse to support her mother and son. While she did some photography, by her death at age 82, she was little known in the national memory. Since her death, there has been recognition of Carpenter as a pioneer.
. Her father Harry Carpenter moved from North Carolina to work as a laborer in Minnesota, where he met Lillian. They married and settled in St. Paul. As a girl, Marion Carpenter went to local schools and at first planned to be a nurse.
Her paternal Carpenter family were descended from Matthias Carpenter (a German immigrant originally named Zimmermann) of North Carolina. He was born ca. 1750-1755 and died in 1835 in Ashe County, North Carolina
(now part of Watauga County, North Carolina
).
Carpenter worked as a nurse from 1942 to 1944. In her off-duty hours from study and work, she had joined the St. Paul Camera Club, where she learned the basics of photography. She became interested in news photography.
. She next joined the International News Photo (INP) syndicate as a special assignment photographer. In addition to her INP work, she did freelance portraits of senators and representatives. Described as "an athletic brunette", she was herself sometimes the subject of photos.
Her work with the INP syndicate was a factor in winning a highly coveted White House job in 1945, through which she soon developed a professional and cordial relationship with U.S. President Harry S. Truman
. She made her mark in Washington "as a photographer of talent and temperament." She became the first woman member of the White House News Photographers Association. She was the only woman press photographer to travel with President Truman on a daily basis.
Carpenter was informally called "the Camera Girl" and "the Photographer Girl" in Washington circles. She resisted being "condescended to by the old men's club" and kept her spirit. In 1946, she told a reporter, "You have to be able to take the guff," after she won an award for a photo of Truman's playing the piano for Lauren Bacall
. At the time, despite Carpenter's membership in the White House Photographers Association, women were not allowed at the annual dinners with the president. This policy did not change until 1962.
Carpenter also had pictures published in Life, the photo-journalism magazine which was very popular from the 1940s into the 1960s. For instance, in the May 23, 1949 issue of Life, Carpenter had nine of the twelve pictures in the article on E. George Luckey, who had been a member of the 39th District
in the California State Legislature
Later she married a career Naval officer and moved with him to the West Coast
. After she was hospitalized from physical abuse, she ended the marriage and divorced him.
Carpenter returned to Washington and began picking up the pieces of her photography career. In 1949, she met the radio announcer John Anderson. They married that year and Carpenter photographed their cross-country trip. They moved to Denver, Colorado
where she gave birth to her only child, John R. Anderson. But this marriage also had problems. By late 1951, when Carpenter was 31, her second marriage and her press photographer career had both ended.
She appeared to be solely responsible for her son John. In 1968, he graduated from Harding High School. After leaving home, he had his own struggles and became involved in criminal activities. He moved west and Carpenter never saw him again. She became a semi-recluse; a very private person, she seldom discussed her past life.
In 1997, the City of St. Paul condemned and tore down her house at 1032 Conway Street, on the east side of the city. Carpenter bought a small house at 1058 Margaret Street with her remaining funds and lived on a small social security pension.
. She died at home, nearly destitute, and alone except for her Rottweiler
. The closest of what were casual friends recalled that she had a son and led an effort to find him. A distant elderly cousin, found in Maine, authorized one of her friends to act as the executor of her estate.
Carpenter's treasured photography equipment, including over a dozen of her cameras, developers, diffusers and lights, her pictures, and few other possessions were sold at an estate sale in March 2003. Several of the older cameras are historical items that form a physical legacy. Her ashes, along with those of her mother, were scattered on a farm between Villard
and Glenwood, Minnesota
, where she had spent summers as a child. This was done by her son John, who had been finally reached by friends and told of his mother's death.
president of the Journalism and Women Symposium, when commenting on Marion Carpenter's death.
The St. Paul Camera Club established an annual "Marion Carpenter Award" in her honor for the best monochrome photojournalism print, also known as the "Annual Monochrome Photojournalism Print Award."
Marion Carpenter was not covered in the early annals of women's studies
. It may be that she was ahead of her time and her Washington career too brief. Ramona Rush's Seeking Equity for Women in Journalism and Mass Communication Education: A 30-Year Update (2003) describes Carpenter in the preface as a "newly found pioneer White House news photographer" and devotes a tribute to her.
The White House Correspondents' Association
, to which Carpenter belonged, has a photo of her with other members who covered President Truman. Marion Carpenter, the only woman present, is on the front row, third from the right. It was not until 1962, when President John F. Kennedy objected to the ban against women members at the annual WHCA dinner, that they were allowed. Helen Thomas
was the first woman WHCA member to attend.
Several of Carpenter's cameras auctioned with her estate are considered historic items. Her first camera was a Seneca Competitor View. It was the larger plate format, folding field camera made from 1907 to 1925. Another camera was the 'Rolleicord III'
, produced in late 1949 by the Rollei-Werke Franke and Heidecke Corporation. She also had the Iloca
Rapid B, a German rangefinder camera from the 1950s.
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
to cover Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, and to travel with a US President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. She broke the gender role
Gender role
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...
stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
in the 1940s but left Washington in 1949 after her second marriage.
After divorce in 1951, Carpenter returned to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she worked as a nurse to support her mother and son. While she did some photography, by her death at age 82, she was little known in the national memory. Since her death, there has been recognition of Carpenter as a pioneer.
Family and early career
Carpenter was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Lillian B. Marion of Minnesota and Harry Carpenter of Avery County, North CarolinaAvery County, North Carolina
- Climate :As a result of its relatively high elevation, Avery County has a Humid continental climate enjoying considerably cooler summers than most of the rest of the Eastern US. Likewise, winters are longer, colder and snowier than most other locations in the region. This can be evidenced by the...
. Her father Harry Carpenter moved from North Carolina to work as a laborer in Minnesota, where he met Lillian. They married and settled in St. Paul. As a girl, Marion Carpenter went to local schools and at first planned to be a nurse.
Her paternal Carpenter family were descended from Matthias Carpenter (a German immigrant originally named Zimmermann) of North Carolina. He was born ca. 1750-1755 and died in 1835 in Ashe County, North Carolina
Ashe County, North Carolina
- History :Historical evidence shows that Ashe county was inhabited by Native Americans, which included the Cherokee, Creek, and Shawnee tribes. Pieces of broken pottery, arrowheads, and other Native American artifacts have been found, indicating their presence...
(now part of Watauga County, North Carolina
Watauga County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,695 people, 16,540 households, and 9,411 families residing in the county. The population density was 137 people per square mile . There were 23,155 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
).
Carpenter worked as a nurse from 1942 to 1944. In her off-duty hours from study and work, she had joined the St. Paul Camera Club, where she learned the basics of photography. She became interested in news photography.
Photography career
In 1944, Carpenter moved to Washington D.C., where she started working for the Washington Times-HeraldWashington Times-Herald
The Washington Times-Herald was an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.. It was created by Cissy Patterson, when she bought the Herald and the Times from William Randolph Hearst, and merged them. The result was a '24 hour' newspaper, with 10 editions per day, from morning to...
. She next joined the International News Photo (INP) syndicate as a special assignment photographer. In addition to her INP work, she did freelance portraits of senators and representatives. Described as "an athletic brunette", she was herself sometimes the subject of photos.
Her work with the INP syndicate was a factor in winning a highly coveted White House job in 1945, through which she soon developed a professional and cordial relationship with U.S. President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
. She made her mark in Washington "as a photographer of talent and temperament." She became the first woman member of the White House News Photographers Association. She was the only woman press photographer to travel with President Truman on a daily basis.
Carpenter was informally called "the Camera Girl" and "the Photographer Girl" in Washington circles. She resisted being "condescended to by the old men's club" and kept her spirit. In 1946, she told a reporter, "You have to be able to take the guff," after she won an award for a photo of Truman's playing the piano for Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
. At the time, despite Carpenter's membership in the White House Photographers Association, women were not allowed at the annual dinners with the president. This policy did not change until 1962.
Carpenter also had pictures published in Life, the photo-journalism magazine which was very popular from the 1940s into the 1960s. For instance, in the May 23, 1949 issue of Life, Carpenter had nine of the twelve pictures in the article on E. George Luckey, who had been a member of the 39th District
Members of the California State Legislature
These are tables of members of the California State Legislature .-Members of the California State Senate:-Members of the California State Assembly:-Sources :* * * * * * * *...
in the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Marriage and family
Carpenter had an affair with a married man in Washington. When this affair was exposed, she lost her White House job.Later she married a career Naval officer and moved with him to the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. After she was hospitalized from physical abuse, she ended the marriage and divorced him.
Carpenter returned to Washington and began picking up the pieces of her photography career. In 1949, she met the radio announcer John Anderson. They married that year and Carpenter photographed their cross-country trip. They moved to Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
where she gave birth to her only child, John R. Anderson. But this marriage also had problems. By late 1951, when Carpenter was 31, her second marriage and her press photographer career had both ended.
Later life
Carpenter's later life is not well known. She returned to St. Paul from Denver and worked as a nurse. During the 1950s, she rejoined the St. Paul Camera Club and later opened a wedding photography business. She supported her mother until her death in the 1970s. She also raced homing pigeons and showed German shepherds.She appeared to be solely responsible for her son John. In 1968, he graduated from Harding High School. After leaving home, he had his own struggles and became involved in criminal activities. He moved west and Carpenter never saw him again. She became a semi-recluse; a very private person, she seldom discussed her past life.
In 1997, the City of St. Paul condemned and tore down her house at 1032 Conway Street, on the east side of the city. Carpenter bought a small house at 1058 Margaret Street with her remaining funds and lived on a small social security pension.
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
Death
Carpenter died of natural causes; the official primary cause was emphysemaEmphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
. She died at home, nearly destitute, and alone except for her Rottweiler
Rottweiler
The Rottweiler is a medium to large size breed of domestic dog that originated in Rottweil, Germany. The dogs were known as "Rottweil butchers' dogs" because they were used to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat and other products to market...
. The closest of what were casual friends recalled that she had a son and led an effort to find him. A distant elderly cousin, found in Maine, authorized one of her friends to act as the executor of her estate.
Carpenter's treasured photography equipment, including over a dozen of her cameras, developers, diffusers and lights, her pictures, and few other possessions were sold at an estate sale in March 2003. Several of the older cameras are historical items that form a physical legacy. Her ashes, along with those of her mother, were scattered on a farm between Villard
Villard, Minnesota
Villard is a city in Pope County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 254 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
and Glenwood, Minnesota
Glenwood, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,594 people, 1,131 households, and 629 families residing in the city. The population density was 466.0 people per square mile . There were 1,202 housing units at an average density of 215.9 per square mile...
, where she had spent summers as a child. This was done by her son John, who had been finally reached by friends and told of his mother's death.
Legacy
"She sounds like the type of woman upon whose shoulders we all stand," noted Susy Shultz,president of the Journalism and Women Symposium, when commenting on Marion Carpenter's death.
The St. Paul Camera Club established an annual "Marion Carpenter Award" in her honor for the best monochrome photojournalism print, also known as the "Annual Monochrome Photojournalism Print Award."
Marion Carpenter was not covered in the early annals of women's studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
. It may be that she was ahead of her time and her Washington career too brief. Ramona Rush's Seeking Equity for Women in Journalism and Mass Communication Education: A 30-Year Update (2003) describes Carpenter in the preface as a "newly found pioneer White House news photographer" and devotes a tribute to her.
The White House Correspondents' Association
White House Correspondents' Association
The White House Correspondents' Association is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the President of the United States. The WHCA was founded in 1914 by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor that a Congressional committee would select which journalists could attend...
, to which Carpenter belonged, has a photo of her with other members who covered President Truman. Marion Carpenter, the only woman present, is on the front row, third from the right. It was not until 1962, when President John F. Kennedy objected to the ban against women members at the annual WHCA dinner, that they were allowed. Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas is an American author and former news service reporter, member of the White House Press Corps and opinion columnist. She worked for the United Press and post-1958 successor United Press International for 57 years, first as a correspondent, and later as White House bureau manager...
was the first woman WHCA member to attend.
Rolleicord
The Rolleicord was a popular medium-format twin lens reflex camera made by Franke & Heidecke between 1933 and 1976. It was a simpler, less expensive version of the high-end Rolleiflex TLR, aimed at amateur photographers who wanted a high-quality camera but could not afford the expensive Rolleiflex...
, produced in late 1949 by the Rollei-Werke Franke and Heidecke Corporation. She also had the Iloca
Iloca
The Iloca was a 35mm rangefinder camera produced from 1952 to 1959 by Wilhelm Witt of Hamburg. The name "Rapid" came from the adoption of a rapid winding lever. Sold very successful in the 1950s through the Sears mail order catalogue in the USA....
Rapid B, a German rangefinder camera from the 1950s.
1946 WHNPA pictures
Ms. Carpenter's entries in the 1946 White House News Press Association contest included the following:- “White House Santa" - Showing President Harry S. TrumanHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
with gifts. - “Favorite Dessert” - President Truman with wounded veterans during a White House garden party
- “Meat Decontrol” - President Truman telling America about the "Meat Decontrol Plan."
- “The photographers Friend" - President Truman "poses for the 'just one more.'"
- ”The Last Mile” - President Truman taking a morning constitutional walk.
- ”Spring at the White House” - President Truman's admiring spring magnolia blossoms.
Further reading
- Anne Commire, Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages (200y), includes article on Marion Carpenter.
External links
- Christmas card from Marion Carpenter, showing the photographer with President Truman. Truman Presidential Library, Accession #: 58-649.
- "Free-lance photographer Marion Carpenter demonstrates how she threw a bowl of Senate bean soup at columnist Tris Coffin in the Senate Dining room ...", Acme telephoto, WA 9 3/21 (This may be 1949 March 21).