Roy Stryker
Roy Emerson Stryker (born November 5, 1893 - † September 27, 1975 ) was an American economist, government official and photographer. He is best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression as head of information. He is considered to be the founder of documentary photography in the United States.
Life
After serving as an infantryman during World War I , Roy Stryker studied economics at Columbia University . He used photography to illustrate his texts and readings. At Columbia University he worked with Rexford Tugwell and became part of the Resettlement Administration (RA) with him . Both focused their work on the documentation of the social situation in the rural regions of the USA, and in 1935 Stryker became head of the historical department (information department) of the RA. The RA was renamed Farm Security Administration (FSA) and Stryker began the photo documentation project.
As head of this department, Stryker's contribution to the photo project was primarily that of the manager. He always made sure that the photographers hired were instructed precisely about their tasks and made sufficient budgets available. He was also responsible for selecting the photos and, above all, for passing them on to the press. Thanks to him, many people in the USA became aware of the critical situation of the people in the country.
A total of 77,000 photos were printed for the press, from more than 160,000 negatives and 640 color photos.
The photographers Stryker won for his project included: Dorothea Lange , Arthur Rothstein , Walker Evans , Ben Shahn , John Vachon , Marion Post Wolcott , Russell Lee , Jack Delano , Gordon Parks , John Collier Jr, Carl Mydans , Edwin and Louise Rosskam. Some of the photos taken by the FSA became very well known and are now considered icons of documentary photography, for example Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother .
During World War II , 1942, the FSA's photography department became part of the Office of War Information ; Stryker stayed in charge and continued to hire photographers such as B. Esther Bubley .
After this organization was dismantled, the photographs were sent to the Library of Congress , where they are still kept and exhibited today.
After the war Stryker worked on various projects ( Standard Oil , Library of Pittsburgh , etc.) and died in 1975 in Grand Junction ( Colorado ).
Stryker's graver
Roy Stryker has been criticized for his brutal method of selecting images. He destroyed thousands of pictures by making holes in the negatives with a grave pen . Where some of his decisions seemed logical because a picture e.g. If, for example, it was out of focus or poorly exposed, he only destroyed some pictures because he did not like them or because they did not comply with the principles of the FSA. Many photographers complained until in 1939 he was able to change his mind about a more conventional selection of images.
These pictures are shown on many websites today and artists use them, such as Lisa Oppenhein or William E. Jones .
In 2016 a book was published about these images: Ground: A Reprise of Photographs from the Farm Security Administration
Web links
- Lisa Oppenheim - un détournement photographique (French)
- Library of Congress website
- Some articles from back then
- Article about the work of William E. Jones
- La boîte verte - Le tueur de la FSA (pictures with black hole) (French)
- Photos for Standard Oil
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stryker, Roy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stryker, Roy Emerson (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American economist and photographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 5, 1893 |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 27, 1975 |