Eliot Elisofon

Eliot Elisofon (April 17, 1911 – April 7, 1973) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist. From the Lower East Side in New York City, Elisofon graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1929 and Fordham University in 1933. He was married twice, in 1940 to Mavis Lyons, whom he divorced in 1946; and in 1950 to Joan Baker Spear, with whom he had two daughters, Elin and Jill. He is a founding member of the Photo League in 1936. He was one of the most active and productive members: he gave guest lectures (1938–43); co-organized the Men at Work project with Lewis Hine (1940); served periodically as president between 1939 and 1941; taught courses on photojournalism and flash photography (1940–41); and participated in numerous exhibitions. Elisofon’s childhood struggles inspired his mission as a photographer; whether photographing the neighborhood he grew up in, the poor communities in the South, or exploring other countries, the human condition remained central to his work. His humble upbringing drove Elisofon to succeed and to improve the world around him. From his perspective: "art, to be true art, must grow out of human beings and it must help human beings live a better and fuller life. It must extend the field of feeling and vision we are born with.” From 1938 to 1942 he ran a commercial photography studio called August and Co., making photographs for advertising and fashion. Elisofon pursued his personal work on the side and studied the work of photograp…