Family of Man

One of the most remarkable photographic books I remember viewing as a child was The Family of Man , a paperback version of the exhibit Edward Steichen currated for New York's Museum of Modern History. That exhibit, which debuted in 1955, opened new territory for photography in so many ways. The fact that a major American museum even HAD a department of photography was remarkable. And the exhibit itself broke new grounds, such that it still retains an aura of being "controversial". Yet to me, it was an unqualified success. I gravitated to that book on the coffee table in the living room as if it were my ticket out into the world. It imbued a vision and had an impact that is with me today, over 50 years later. That, in my opinion, is remarkable for ANY photographic book or exhibit.

Edward Steichen came to America from Luxembourg when he was only 18 months old. It is said that his mother determined that her son would NOT face the poverty and lack of opportunity prevalent in Europe in the late 1800s (Edward was born in 1879). They moved to the Midwest, and lived near her sister in Michigan. Thus, he grew up as an American. And what an honor he gives us! The values he embodied in the Family of Man are ones that a teenager could embrace and feel ennobled. And they are values that still stand strong, after 50 years of viewing.

I won't recount all of Steichen's history here, but just include a few links where you can pursue more information on your own. What I WILL focus on is his war experiences. During World War I Steichen was a Colonel in the Army, doing aerial photography, and during WWII, he served as a Captain in the Navy in the Pacific. His photography was used to record enemy action, and then formed the basis upon which other soldiers killed those enemy soldiers. Steichen's war photography ended with Hiroshima, we are told, in the retrospective film we saw in class last night by Kultur (I can't find the exact reference - it's from the Foothill College library). I wonder, did he actually photograph in Hiroshima?

Wayne Miller, who worked with Steichen in WWII, and then was recruited by him for the massive Family of Man exhibit, recalled that Steichen's admonition as a wartime photographer was to use more color, and to focus on the people. The equipment would disappear from history, but the people would be memorable forever. (I hope I recall that accurately). The Family of Man is Edward Steichen's response to his wartime experiences, and indeed to his entire life. Miller said that Steichen had a romantic, almost a heroic image of humanity, and he was a hard task master because he was so PASSIONATE about what he endeavored to do. Yet apparently those are just the qualities that were needed, because the exhibit WAS produced, it was viewed by millions, and it is still viewable today (see below).

An internet source describes The Family of Man thusly: "The 503 photos were selected from almost 2 million pictures taken by 273 photographers, famous and unknown, in 68 countries, and offer a striking snapshot of the human experience which lingers on birth, love, and joy, but also touches war, privation, illness and death. His intention was to prove visually the universality of human experience and photography's role in its documentation." I have read in our text and heard it elsewhere that this exhibit is "controversial". For one thing, many photographers didn't understand the purpose of the exhibit, or how their photographs would be used. Over 700 photographers were invited and informed of the project, and many met in person with Steichen. Nevertheless, many were dismayed to find that the show's perspective was overwhelmingly upbeat; that the images were used outside of their original context; that the photographer's identity and nationality were downplayed; and that Steichen was such an ardent champion of his vision. I submit it is just these characteristics that make the show what it was, and is today.

The Family of Man can still be viewed in Steichen's birthtown of Clervaux. Read how it is described there: "In September 2003, the "Family of Man" exhibition was nominated for inscription on UNESCO's "Memory of the World" register with the following justification: 'Luxembourg - Family of Man. The photographic exhibition mounted by the photographer Edward J. Steichen in 1955 for the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was donated by the Government of the USA to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is preserved in the Clervaux Museum. The exhibition consists of 503 photographs taken by 273 photographers, both professional and amateur, famous and unknown, from 68 countries. It has been described as the “greatest photographic enterprise ever undertaken”. A huge undertaking, with unique cultural and artistic dimensions, it had a considerable influence on other exhibition organizers, stirred public interest in photography and proved exceptional in its ability to communicate a humanist message that was both courageous and provocative. The Family of Man exhibition has become a legend in the history of photography. It went far beyond the traditional view of what an exhibition should be and it can be regarded as the memory of an entire era, that of the Cold War and McCarthyism, in which the hopes and aspirations of millions of men and women throughout the world were focused on peace.'"

This exhibit transcends photography into a statement of hope and a vision for the future that still stands strong today. Steichen's vision, to me, takes the very best of photography, and puts it to the very best of uses. In the end, our individuality and our nationality do not matter, nor what our original purposes may be. It is what we can achieve as a world community, which he describes as "The Family of Man", or what we fail to achieve, that will make or break us in the end. After all, photography, like all arts, performs a social function. But without a socity, it is useless. With the enormity of our technological capabilities for creating death and destruction, and the complexities of the cultures we are trying to live amongst, it is efforts such as Steichen's that point the way for the survival of our species. That makes photography all the more important. Like the military man he was, Steichen corraled our best photographers to select their best photography to accomplish the job. As a teenager in the 1950's in Minnesota, and as a 60-year-old in California today, I still marvel at the beauty and boldness of Steichen's exhibit, The Family of Man.