W. Eugene Smith

(American, 1918–1978)

W. Eugene Smith was an American photographer known for his role in developing the editorial photo essay. Smith’s photos evoke an acute sense of social awareness and empathy in viewers. “I’ve never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil,” he once said. Born in Wichita, Kansas in 1918, Smith was introduced to photography at a young age by his mother, Nettie. He honed his craft throughout his adolescence, gaining prominence at around the same time as Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and George Rodger. As a wartime correspondent in the Pacific theater during the second world war, Smith aimed not only to depict current events, but also to expose the tragedies of wartime and stir the conscience of his viewers. After the war, Smith created a series of photo essays for LIFE Magazine, always taking time to immerse himself in the lives of his subjects. His emotional approach to photography was unique among photojournalists of the time. In 1956, Smith left LIFE Magazine, as he began to view himself as an artist more than a journalist. He dedicated the rest of his life to his art, creating an extensive collection of photo essays in locations from Pittsburgh to Minamata, Japan. Smith died of a stroke on October 15, 1978, in Tucson, Arizona. Today, the artist’s works are on display in the collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, among others.