Doris Ulmann

Doris Ulmann Synopsis

Doris Ulmann is a contradictory figure in the history of photography. A wealthy New York photographer, she is best known for her quintessentially American pictures of the rural South. A frail woman, she made numerous trips into the rugged Appalachian region. A prolific creator, she died before many of her last images could be printed. Considered one of the foremost photographers in the United States in the 1930s, she disappeared from public awareness until the 1970s.

The latest addition to the acclaimed In Focus series present fifty-five pictures by Ulmann from the Museum's collection. Judith Keller, associate curator of photographs, wrote the extensive accompanying captions and participated, along with William Clift, David Featherstone, Charles Hagen, Weston Naef, Ron Pen, and Susan Millar Williams, in a colloquium on Ulmann and her work. The volume includes an edited transcript of their discussion and a chronological overview of Ulman's life.