Gordon Parks
“A self-taught photographer, filmmaker, and writer who documented American life and broke barriers behind the camera.”
Self-taught with a pawnshop camera, Parks won a Rosenwald Fellowship and made his searing 1942 portrait "American Gothic." In 1948 he became the first Black staff photographer at Life magazine, the breakthrough that made him a celebrated artist at age 35.
From Poverty to a Camera
Born into poverty and segregation in Fort Scott, Kansas, Parks was the youngest of fifteen children. Largely self-taught, he bought a camera in a pawnshop and turned to photography as a tool for social change.
Life Magazine and the Image
After documenting Washington for the Farm Security Administration, where he made "American Gothic," he joined Life in 1948 as its first Black staff photographer. His essays on poverty, crime, and the civil rights movement reached millions of readers.
Filmmaker and Renaissance Man
He broke another barrier by directing the studio feature The Learning Tree in 1969, then made the landmark 1971 hit Shaft. A novelist, poet, and composer as well, he received the National Medal of Arts in 1988.
Career Timeline
- 1912Born in Fort Scott, Kansas, youngest of fifteen
- 1937Buys his first camera at a pawnshop
- 1941Wins a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship
- 1942Photographs "American Gothic" at the FSA
- 1948Becomes Life magazine's first Black staff photographer
- 1963Publishes the novel The Learning Tree
- 1969Directs The Learning Tree for a major studio
- 1971Directs the influential film Shaft
- 1972Directs the sequel Shaft's Big Score!
- 1988Receives the National Medal of Arts
- 2002Founds the Gordon Parks Foundation
- 2006Dies in New York City, aged 93
Biggest Hits
- He composed music, including a ballet and concertos, and wrote poetry and memoirs.
- His "American Gothic" reimagined Grant Wood's painting to indict racial inequality.
The Moment You Remember
His 1942 photograph of cleaning woman Ella Watson standing before an American flag, broom and mop in hand, became one of the most resonant images of race and labor in twentieth-century America.
Portrait: Rowland Scherman · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · via Wikimedia Commons