Press Release: June 2011

SALON PHOTOGRAPHY
1930S EXHIBITION PRINTS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY, CHICAGO
JUNE 9 - AUGUST 5, 2011

Several years ago the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago sold off its extensive holdings of vintage 1930s "fine art photography" since this type of art was no longer seen as relevant to the museum's mission. A small group of the most valuable prints were sold at public auction and the balance was offered discreetly to a select group of savvy dealers and collectors with the majority acquired for this exhibition. A sampling of fifty-two of these marvelous images is presented in the gallery's new exhibition "Salon Photography," on display through August 5.

The presence of such a collection in a science museum follows from the fact that for most of its history photography was considered as much or more an offshoot of applied science, an industrial process, than as an art form. The museum's photography collection, largely formed in the early 1930s, mirrored the state of the field at that time. It was a democratic mix of the work of well-known practitioners as well as that of lesser-known figures, mainly dedicated photographers (professionals and hobbyists) who exhibited in photo salons. While the collection could today be viewed largely as pictorialist (an aesthetic that often combined soft focus; dark, warm tonalities; low contrast; and "picturesque" subjects to create images of a decidedly romantic nature), many of the photographs are in fact transitional, combining modernist and pictorialist elements.

The salon system in place for the first half or so of the twentieth century was based on the camera clubs found in most major American cities (those in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh were among the best known and most prestigious) as well as in other countries such as Germany, England and France. Many of these clubs held annual salon exhibitions to which photographers from around the world would compete. The best work was exhibited in these salons, which were important events in the photo world and served as a major way for photographers to expose their work to fellow enthusiasts and the public at large.

Many of the images now on display were originally shown in a prestigious exhibition "The International Salon of Photography" held at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair and organized under the auspices of the Chicago Camera Club. The forward to the 1933 catalog of the exhibition written by F. J. Mortimer, a noted British editor of photographic annuals, describes the exhibition as "over seven hundred fine examples of modern Pictorial Photography and some notable specimens of Portrait, Commercial and Scientific work with the camera... selected from over 5000 entries, brought together from all parts of the world by the Chicago Camera, and constitute a record in exhibitions of this character".

Nature has always attracted photographers, and there are ample examples in this exhibition. Noteworthy for its modernist characteristics is Berlin photographer Paul Unger's striking image "Teleskop Fisch," a larger-than-life close-up of a goldfish with bulging eyes that perfectly combines elements of both science and art. Another, more traditional, example of a nature study is "Barricaded", a dynamic composition of sunlight reflecting off ice-covered snow drifts by Lola Stone of Michigan, one of the two women photographers in this show.

Then as now, photographers liked to experiment with different techniques to achieve unusual effects. One such approach, solarization (popularized by Man Ray in the 1920s) accentuates lines and edges, resulting in prints with a graphic art quality reminiscent of engravings and etchings. In a New York cityscape and a Philadelphia industrial landscape, Philadelphia photographer C. F. Ross expertly and aptly applies this technique.

Another example of an alternative technique used for artistic ends is the bromoil print by Francisco Carbonell, a Spanish photographer. Bromoil is a demanding process rarely used today that produces painterly images, an approach perfectly suited for this carefully-composed sepia-toned nautical scene of an oarsman in his native Spain.

A striking modernist image is George Henry High's 1933 nighttime architectural study of the Lindberg Beacon, an aid for pilots landing at Chicago's Midway Airport and at the time recently installed atop the Palmolive Building. High was well known in Chicago photography circles and headed the Salon Committee of the Chicago Camera Club.

This exhibition, then, can be seen as showcasing a transitional time in the history of photography, with images that still retain their appeal today. Subject matter in the show encompasses most major genres popular both then and now: landscapes, cityscapes, nature, nudes, portraiture, still life, industrial, and travel.