W. Eugene Smith
W. Eugene Smith | |
|---|---|
Smith and wife Aileen, 1974 (Photo by Consuelo Kanaga) | |
| Born | William Eugene Smith December 30, 1918 Wichita, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1978 (aged 59) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation | Photojournalist |
| Years active | 1934–1978 |
| Spouse | Carmen Martinez 1941, Aileen Mioko 1971 |
| Partner | Sherry Suris 1974 |
| Children | Marissa 1942, Juanita, Patric, Kevin 1956 |
William Eugene Smith (December 30, 1918 – October 15, 1978) was an American photojournalist. He has been described as "perhaps the single most important American photographer in the development of the editorial photo essay." His major photo essays include World War II photographs, the visual stories of an American country doctor and a nurse midwife, the clinic of Albert Schweitzer in French Equatorial Africa, the city of Pittsburgh, and the pollution which damaged the health of the residents of Minamata in Japan. His 1948 series, Country Doctor, photographed for Life, is now recognized as "the first extended editorial photo story".