2026-02-22
The Photographs of Gordon Parks
The Photographs of Gordon ParksPlace de la Concorde, Paris, 1951, Gordon Parks.South Street El Train, New York, New York, 1946, Gordon Parks.Harlem Rooftops, Harlem, New York, 1948, Gordon Parks.A Harlem street scene, NYC, April 1943, Gordon Parks.Harlem Neighborhood, Harlem, New York, 1952, Gordon Parks.Untitled, Harlem, New York, 1952, Gordon Parks.Grease plant worker, Pittsburgh, PA, 1944, Gordon Parks.Man loading grain boat, 1944, Gordon Parks.Gordon Parks (November 30, 1912 — March 7, 2006)Born into poverty and segregation in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1912, as the youngest of 15 children, Gordon Parks eventually became one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century. Among his many accomplishments, he was on staff at Life Magazine for two decades, where he was the first and only Black photographer on staff.He was also a composer, author, filmmaker, and painter. In 1969, he became the first African American to write and direct a major Hollywood studio feature film, The Learning Tree, based on his bestselling semi-autobiographical novel.These are just a few of his amazing photographs. For more information on his life and incredible body of work, check out The Gordon Parks Foundation and The National Gallery of Art.Ferry boat from Staten Island to Manhattan, carrying early morning commuters, NYC, November, 1946, Gordon Parks. Muhammad Ali, 1966, Gordon Parks.Invisible Man Retreat, Harlem, New York, 1952, Gordon Parks.Woman in Her Bedroom, Washington, D.C., 1942, Gordon Parks.Woman and dog in window, Harlem, New York, 1943, Gordon Parks.At Segregated Drinking Fountain, Mobile, Alabama, 1956, Gordon Parks.Mr. and Mrs. Albert Thornton, Mobile, Alabama, 1956, Gordon Parks.Husband and Wife, Sunday Morning, Detroit, Michigan (Bert Collins and Pauline Terry) 1950, printed later, Gordon ParksMalcolm X Holding Up Black Muslim Newspaper, Chicago, Illinois, 1963, Gordon Parks.Untitled, Harlem, New York, 1963, Gordon Parks.Untitled, March on Washington, Washington, D.C., 1963, Gordon Parks.Eldridge Cleaver and His Wife, Kathleen, Algiers, Algeria, 1970, Gordon Parks.Photo illustration of Gordon Parks' novel "The Learning Tree", August 16, 1963 issue of Life magazine, titled “How It Feels To Be Black,” Gordon Parks. In 1963, Parks published his first novel, The Learning Tree, a semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age story. To make visible and symbolic the book’s narrative arc, the year of the book’s publication Parks created a series of color photographs. They are remarkable for the simultaneously idyllic and threatening tone and compositions—echoing the novel’s own conflicted and wrenching narrative. A selection of these images appeared in the August 16, 1963 issue of Life magazine, under the title “How It Feels To Be Black,” accompanied by passages from the book.Photo illustration of Gordon Parks' novel "The Learning Tree", August 16, 1963 issue of Life magazine, titled “How It Feels To Be Black,” Gordon Parks.Abandoned House, Augusta, Maine, 1944, Gordon Parks.Prairie Land, Alberta, Canada, 1945, Gordon Parks.Spring's Arrival, 1994, Gordon Parks. His late abstract compositions (1993 - 95) combined elements of painting, sculpture, and photography. These compositions often included floral still lifes—flower petals and diaphanous fabrics were among his favorite subjects—positioned before brightly colored and dramatically-lit backgrounds. Despite his advancing age, Parks made these images at a remarkable rate, claiming he felt compelled to create his own hills, mountains, and valleys. Travelers, 1996, Gordon Parks.Evening, 1995, Gordon Parks.Miles Davis, 1981, Gordon Parks.Off on My Own, Harlem, NY, 1948, Gordon Parks.Self-portrait, 1941, Gordon Parks.
