Background
Alexander Alland, Sr. was born in 1902 in Sevastopol, Russia.
Alexander Alland, Sr. was born in 1902 in Sevastopol, Russia.
Alland attended Commerce School in Sevastopol and learned photography as a boy.
In 1920 he emigrated to Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) and set up a studio; in 1923 he traveled to New York City. Alland served as supervisor of the Mural Section of the Federal Art Project in 1936-38. In 1939 he was president of Exploration Photo Syndicate, and produced photomurals for the New York World's Fair ca. 1940. In 1940-41 he was photography editor of Common Ground. Alland directed exhibitions for the Council Against Intolerance in America in 1942- 44. He is currently a freelancer.