SELECTIONS > OWI/FSA STANDARD OIL COLLECTION

Esther Bubley (1921 - 1998)
Esther Bubley was a photojournalist whose body of work serves as a document of American culture in the mid-twentieth century. By the mid-1930s photography was mostly concerned with landscapes, snapshots, and family portraits. However, photography was quickly being discovered as a worthy tool of communication in making serious statements. With her unparalleled technical excellence with a camera, Bubley created a visual scene of American society beginning in the 1940s and enduring for decades.

Bubley's photographic documentation of American life began with her documentary photography work for the U.S. Office of War Information (OWI) in 1942 and 1943 on the home front during World War II (1939–45). It continued on an international scale during the golden age of photojournalism from the 1940s to the 1960s. She captured Americans in very ordinary circumstances, going about their usual routines, in images that are compelling while being realistic and artistic as well. Bubley helped set the stage for future photojournalists of the world.