Documentary photography
Found in 656 Collections and/or Records:
Oxaca de Juarez, Mexico, March 2005
Painting a derrick, Seminole Oil Field, Oklahoma. Notice lack of safety belts. Painters say that safety devices slow them down too much, 1939
Paintings by Lee, circa 1930-1935
The three oil paintings in this series are not dated, but were created during the early 1930s, when Lee studied painting in Woodstock, NY. A friend suggested Lee buy a camera and take photographs to improve his painting technique; Lee did so and quickly became interested in photography. The painting of the man in this series remains unfinished as a result of Lee’s shift in artistic focus.
Palma di Montechiaro (Sicily), 1960
Part of Main Street, Forgan, Oklahoma, an agricultural ghost town, 1939
Passports, 1953-1985
Documents including and relating to the will of Russell Lee’s maternal grandmother, Eva Werner, comprise the first subseries of this series, and relate in part to a half-sister of Lee’s. Other documents include a divorce decree for Russell Lee and his first wife, birth and marriage certificates for Russell and Jean Lee, passports for both Lees, and financial records related to a household employee.
Pea pickers (labor contractors crew) spreading into the field for work. Canyon County, Idaho, 1941
Pea pickers (labor contractors crew) spreading into the field for work. Canyon County, Idaho, 1941
Personal Documents, 1881, 1900-1901, 1930s-1970s
Photographs by Russell Lee, circa 1936-1961
Photographs of Russell and Jean Lee, 1904-1984
The collection contains 77 photographs of Russell Lee, the largest group known to exist. This group of photographs range from portraits by unknown studio photographers, to well known photographers such as Ave Bonar. Russell Lee is portrayed both in snapshots by anonymous photographers and candid photographs by military photographers in the Air Transport Command.