The London-branch of the Daniel Blau gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of affordable vintage 20th century photojournalism from the United States. The viewer is presented with images of classic icons of traditional America, such as flags and roads, to more gritty and bleak visions of America from the 1900s. The exhibition Happy-Go-Lucky aims , as stated in the gallery’s press release, ‘ to present a new way of looking at and collecting 20th Century American pictures’.
Although after having reached the moon, tamed the atom and won World War II America has become a place of euphoric positivism and determination the American Dream of ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’ remained distant and was punctured by war, economic instability and civil rebellion. Happy-Go-Lucky reflects not only the euphoric spirit of 20th century America but also scenes of social unrest and defunct industry – painting a picture that captures the zeitgeist of this era. Photojournalism at its finest, intimately documenting American life.
Included in the exhibition, for example, is the work of photojournalist John H. White (born in 1945) who got interested in photography when his father asked him at the age of 14 to photograph the destruction and reconstruction of White’s church – . Soon after he started working for the Chicago Daily News and, in 1978, he joined the staff of the Chicago Sun Times where he still works today. White was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Photojournalism in 1982 amongst many other prices and awards.
Tony Spina is represented with his photograph ‘Biggest Flag Unfurled’ (1967). Spina was born in Detroit and the chief photographer and special assistant to the managing editor of the Detroit Free Press. During the 44 years he spent working at the Free Press Spina received an impressive amount of more than 450 state, national and international awards for his photography.
Also on display is the work of American photographer Arthur B. Rickerby (1921 – 1972), who is most famous for his sports photography and his photographs of the Kennedy administration. Rickerby started his photographic career while being a student at Duke University where he documented the campus sports and sold his images to local newspapers. ACME/UPI noticed Rickerby’s talent and offered him a job in New York after his graduation. He left the United Press in 1959 to become a freelance photographer and, as he became better known, was regularly hired by the prestigious LIFE Magazine.
Many of these post-war photographs of everyday America which are on display at Daniel Blau are press prints and often carry ink stamps, touch-ups, crop marks on the front or news clippings on the back which adds to their historical significance and charme.
Anna-Maria Pfab
Happy-Go Lucky – Affordable 20th Century American Photojournalism
The exhibition will be on display until 13 April 2013
Daniel Blau
51 Hoxton Square
London
N1 6PB
United Kingdom
Tuesday until Saturday 11 – 6 pm
