Doris Ulmann
American, 1884-1934
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Doris Ulmann was born to a wealthy New York family. She attended Columbia Teacher's College where her education was supposed to lead her to a teaching position. However, after taking a course in photography, Doris Ulmann decided to pursue a career as a photographer. From 1918 to her death in 1934, Doris Ulmann devoted herself to her profession. Although her earlier work consisted mostly of portraits of prominent people of her day, Doris Ulmann's photographs began to take a new direction. Influenced by the social liberalism of Lewis Hine, one that accepted and acknowledged the inherent worth of all individuals regardless of their socioeconomic background, Doris Ulmann began to photograph people in rural areas such as Appalachia and South Carolina.
Doris Ulmann's purpose was not to provide a social commentary, but rather to show a way of life, older crafts, and individual character that America was in the process of losing. She photographed in the naturalist tradition. Naturalists were rebelling against the industrial revolution and the urbanization, pollution, and corruption that came with it. Through their photographs, they looked back to a simpler time when a person's work and craft were more valued.
Member of The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD)
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