Harry Callahan

(American, 1912–1999)

Harry Callahan was a pioneering American photographer who worked in both color and black-and-white. Among his best-known works are the numerous portraits of his wife Eleanor, who served as a constant model throughout his career. His prolific practice included taking took dozens of photographs a day. Callahan's output, however, was exceptionally curated, and he consistently produced less than ten finished prints a year. “I guess I've shot about 40,000 negatives and of these I have about 800 pictures I like,” he once said. Born on October 22, 1912 in Detroit, MI, Callahan taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago, and went on to found the renowned photography department at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence in 1961. During this time period, he served as an influential teacher to many important young American photographers. Callahan accumulated many honors during his life, including being featured in Edward Steichen's landmark “The Family of Man” exhibition in 1955, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1996. The artist died on March 15, 1999 in Atlanta, GA, leaving behind some 100,000 negatives and 10,000 proof prints. Today, Callahan’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

Harry Callahan Artworks

Harry Callahan (2,164 results)
Cutouts, 1956

Harry Callahan

Cutouts, 1956

Sale Date: December 14, 1994

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: December 14, 1994

Auction Closed

Winterlandschaft, 1950

Harry Callahan

Winterlandschaft, 1950

Sale Date: November 15, 1994

Auction Closed

Seelandschaft, 1972

Harry Callahan

Seelandschaft, 1972

Sale Date: November 15, 1994

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: November 13, 1994

Auction Closed

Aix-en-Provence, France, 1958

Harry Callahan

Aix-en-Provence, France, 1958

Sale Date: November 13, 1994

Auction Closed

Barbara in studio, 1953

Harry Callahan

Barbara in studio, 1953

Sale Date: November 13, 1994

Auction Closed

Eleanor, Port Huron, 1954

Harry Callahan

Eleanor, Port Huron, 1954

Sale Date: November 13, 1994

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: November 13, 1994

Auction Closed

Cape Cod, 1972

Harry Callahan

Cape Cod, 1972

Sale Date: November 13, 1994

Auction Closed

ELAENOR AND BARBARA WITH CHICAGO SKYLINE

Harry Callahan

ELAENOR AND BARBARA WITH CHICAGO SKYLINE

Sale Date: October 6, 1994

Auction Closed

CHICAGO (ELEANOR WITH ARMS FOLDED OVER HEAD), 1947

Harry Callahan

CHICAGO (ELEANOR WITH ARMS FOLDED OVER HEAD), 1947

Sale Date: October 6, 1994

Auction Closed

FERNS, 1964

Harry Callahan

FERNS, 1964

Sale Date: October 6, 1994

Auction Closed

Eleanor in Chicago, 1949

Harry Callahan

Eleanor in Chicago, 1949

Sale Date: October 6, 1994

Auction Closed

Detroit, 1943

Harry Callahan

Detroit, 1943

Sale Date: October 4, 1994

Auction Closed

STREET SCENE, CHICAGO, 1947

Harry Callahan

STREET SCENE, CHICAGO, 1947

Sale Date: October 3, 1994

Auction Closed

CHICAGO (ELEANOR AND BARBARA ON THE BED), 1954

Harry Callahan

CHICAGO (ELEANOR AND BARBARA ON THE BED), 1954

Sale Date: May 13, 1994

Auction Closed

CAPE COD, 1960–1969

Harry Callahan

CAPE COD, 1960–1969

Sale Date: May 13, 1994

Auction Closed

PORTRAIT OF ELEANOR, 1947

Harry Callahan

PORTRAIT OF ELEANOR, 1947

Sale Date: May 13, 1994

Auction Closed

Female nude, 1948

Harry Callahan

Female nude, 1948

Sale Date: April 23, 1994

Auction Closed

GRASSES, WISCONSIN, 1959

Harry Callahan

GRASSES, WISCONSIN, 1959

Sale Date: April 23, 1994

Auction Closed

SELECTED IMAGES: LAKE MICHIGAN, 1953

Harry Callahan

SELECTED IMAGES: LAKE MICHIGAN, 1953

Sale Date: April 23, 1994

Auction Closed

Chicago, 1948

Harry Callahan

Chicago, 1948

Sale Date: April 23, 1994

Auction Closed

SELECTED IMAGES: CAPE COD, 1972

Harry Callahan

SELECTED IMAGES: CAPE COD, 1972

Sale Date: April 23, 1994

Auction Closed