Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer: An Aperture Biography
(Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), who was married to painter ...)
Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), who was married to painter Georgia O'Keeffe, was an American photographer and modern art promoter. Over his fifty-year career he made photography an accepted art form. Illustrated. Bibliography. Index. 240p.
Dorothy Norman was an American photographer and writer. She was also a civil rights advocate and a founding member of New York City's Liberal Party and a member of the Americans for Democratic Action.
Background
Dorothy Norman was born on March 28, 1905 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and grew up in a well-to-do family. Norman spoke French and German, heard her first opera when she was 10, discovered art at the Barnes Collection. She developed an early sense of social injustice, despite the comforts of her life.
Education
Norman was educated at Smith College and then at the University of Pennsylvania from 1922 to 1925.
In the 1920s, Norman accepted a position with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) conducting research. She also became involved with the Planned Parenthood Association, an organization that was then in its early development stage.
In 1938 she published and edited a literary journal called Twice a Year, and in 1942 she began a weekly column for the New York Post entitled “A World to Live In”, which ran for seven years.
Her association with photographer Alfred Stieglitz brought her into the world of picture taking. Under Stieglitz’ mentorship, Norman learned development and printing techniques and began documenting the activities and installations at An American Place, Stieglitz’s next gallery, where she also oversaw the operations. Norman made revealing portraits of many artists and writers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Marcel Duchamp, Albert Einstein, Indira Ghandi, Thomas Mann, and Richard Wright, establishing her involvement in the artistic and cultural community. During this period she also photographed extensively in New York City, Cape Cod, and created many portraits of her mentor, Stieglitz.
She was a founding member of Americans for Democratic Action and founded the American Citizens’ Committee for Economic Aid Abroad and American Emergency Food Committee for India. Her work in India culminated in her writing Indira Gandhi: Letters to an American Friend and Nehru: The First Sixty Years. Her other written works include The Hero: Myth, Image, and Symbol, Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer, and Encounters: A Memoir.
During the 1930s and 1940s Norman was an activist in various liberal causes, such as civil rights, education, and independence for India, she was also a Zionist. She was a founding member of New York City's Liberal Party and a member of the Americans for Democratic Action, and served on the boards of both the New York Urban League and the National Urban League.
Connections
In 1925 Dorothy married Edward A. Norman, they had two children together, Andrew and Nancy. Her marriage to Edward Norman ended in divorce in 1951.
Alfred Stieglitz was not only her mentor and friend, but also a lover. The relationship continued until his death in 1946.