Margaret Bourke-White: photojournalist: how one daring woman became "America's eyes".PROLOGUE In the early 20th century, female reporters and photographers were extremely rare, especially in war zones. Photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White Margaret Bourke-White (IPA: /ˌbɜrkˈʍaɪt/[1][2], June 14, 1904 – August 27, 1971) was an American photographer and photojournalist. helped change that. Bourke-White had a powerful calling card: She was a photographer for Life magazine. At a time before TV and the Internet, this weekly picture magazine influenced Americans in a way that is almost unimaginable today. In its pages, and on her own, Bourke-White created some of the most powerful images of mid-20th-century America. With the coming of World War II (1939-1945), her photographs of the conflict became a front seat to history for millions of people. Narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. A: In honor of Women's History Month Women's History Month is an annual declared month in the United States that highlights contributions of women to events in history. March is declared Women's History Month. The annual event traces its beginnings to the first International Women's Day in 1911. , JS celebrates the life of a daring photographer who became, in the words of one writer, "America's eyes." SCENE 1 Narrator B: Margaret White is born in 1904 in the Bronx, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . She is a bright, curious girl with a love of nature. Bound for college, she intends to become a herpetologist her·pe·tol·o·gy n. The branch of zoology that deals with reptiles and amphibians. [Greek herpeton, reptile (from herpein, to creep) + -logy. , one who studies reptiles reptiles terrestrial or aquatic vertebrates which breathe air through lungs and have a skin covering of horny scales. They are poikilothermic, oviparous or ovoviviparous, and, if they have legs they are short and constructed solely for crawling. and amphibians amphibians members of the animal class Amphibia. Includes frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and cecilians all capable of living on land or in water. . She also has an interest in her father's hobby: photography. Narrator C: But life takes some unexpected twists. In college, she falls in love with Emmett Chapman Emmett Chapman is a jazz musician best known as the inventor of the Chapman Stick and maker of Chapman Stick family of instruments. Originally a guitarist, Chapman began recording and performing beginning in the late 1960s. , a fellow student. Luckily, "Chappie chappie Noun Informal a man or boy " is also a photography buff. Margaret: Chappie, could you help me out? I need to photograph some skeletons in the museum. But I can't get enough light in there. Chappie: There are some strong lights in the engineering building. I'll borrow them and help you set them up. Narrator D: They get married in 1923. Soon the marriage is troubled, in part because Chappie is insecure about Margaret's ambition. Margaret: Chappie, dear, what's wrong today? I can't stand another one of your long sulks sulk intr.v. sulked, sulk·ing, sulks To be sullenly aloof or withdrawn, as in silent resentment or protest. n. . Chappie: I see you're still selling postcards with your photographs on them. Don't you trust me to support you? Margaret: I don't want to be supported. I need something to do. Chappie, I have to be independent. Narrator E: Within two years, they have parted. Margaret will later call it the most painful decision of her life. But it also makes her rely on something she has become skilled at: taking photographs. As she later writes ... Margaret (in her memoir) *: Had it not been for [the failure of the marriage], I would never have been a professional photographer. Narrator A: After her divorce, Margaret signs her name in a different way. She puts her mother's maiden name maiden name n. A woman's family name before she is married. Used of a surname that is replaced by a woman when she marries. Also called birth name. before her father's last name and becomes Margaret Bourke-White. SCENE 2 Narrator B: Bourke-White pursues photography with a new sense of purpose. In 1927, she moves to Cleveland, Ohio "Cleveland" redirects here. For the Cleveland metropolitan area, see . For other uses, see Cleveland (disambiguation). Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. . Fascinated by machines, she begins to make a name for herself as an industrial photographer. Narrator C: Bourke-White will risk anything for a picture. Shortly after she receives an assignment to shoot the Otis Steel mill, a company executive receives an angry phone call from the night foreman. Night foreman: Mr. Hill, you've got to keep that girl with the camera out of the plant. John Hill: Why? Night foreman: She's crawling all over the place, high up over the floor. Getting right up to the molten steel with sparks flying everywhere! And down below the men are stumbling around, gawking at her. Somebody's going to get hurt. Narrator D: Bourke-White is allowed to continue working. With these photos, her reputation begins to spread. In May 1929, she receives an invitation to come to New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. from Henry Luce Noun 1. Henry Luce - United States publisher of magazines (1898-1967) Henry Robinson Luce, Luce , the powerful publisher of Time magazine. Soon ... Henry Luce: Miss Bourke-White, at last. I've seen your Otis Steel photographs. And the newspaper coverage ... What was that one headline, Parker? Parker Lloyd-Smith: "Dizzy heights have no terror for this girl photographer." Luce: That's it. Tell me, why are you taking these photographs? Is it just for fun? Bourke-White: I assure you, Mr. Luce, I'm very serious about my profession. Luce: Good, good. Let me come to the point. I'm starting a new magazine that will focus on American industry. It will use photos to show everything from the steam shovel to the board of directors. Do you think this is a good idea? Bourke-White (in her memoir): Did I think this was a good idea? This was the very role I believed photography could play, but on a wider stage than I could have imagined.... [Afterward] I wrote my mother: "I feel as if the world has been opened up, and I hold all the keys." Narrator E: Luce offers Bourke-White a position on his new magazine, to be called Fortune. Her photos will help make it one of the biggest success stories in American publishing history. SCENE 3 Narrator A: In 1936, Luce starts Life magazine. Bourke-White's photograph of the Fort Peck Dam Fort Peck Dam, 21,430 ft (6,531 m) long and 250 ft (76 m) high, on the Missouri River, NE Mont.; one of the world's largest earth-filled dams. The dam was built (1933–40) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a flood-control and navigation-improvement project. in Montana is on the very first cover. With Life as a platform, her photos of life in the U.S. make her famous. Narrator B: Meanwhile, in Europe, German dictator Adolf Hitler has begun the aggression that will lead to World War II. Bourke-White insists on getting as close to the action as possible. She becomes the first woman to be accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. (approved) by the U.S. armed forces as a war correspondent war correspondent n. A journalist, reporter, or commentator assigned to report directly from a war or combat zone. Noun 1. war correspondent . In the summer of 1942, she is at a secret Air Force base in England, where B-17 bombers take off on missions over Germany. One evening in the officers' lounge ... Col. J. Hampton Atkinson: Gentlemen, please welcome General Doolittle, the new commander of the Eighth Air Force. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle: Good evening, gentlemen--and Maggie. I heard you were here. Atkinson: We've kind of adopted her, sir. She just christened one of our bombers. Bourke-White. Unfortunately, General, I can't fly on it. There seems to be this ridiculous fear of women correspondents going on missions. No one stops the men. Doolittle: We're only concerned about your safety. Bourke-White: General, I photographed Nazi tanks in Czechoslovakia. I was arrested in Romania. I nearly got killed shooting the German bombardment of Moscow. If I wanted to be safe, I would have stayed at home. Doolittle: It's hard to say no to the famous Margaret Bourke-White. But for now, I must. Narrator C: Still, Doolittle will open a door that will further boost the Bourke-White legend. SCENE 4 Narrator D: In late 1942, the U.S. and British armies prepare to launch a major offensive on German forces in North Africa. Bourke-White receives permission from General Doolittle to sail with a convoy of ships taking troops and nurses across the Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea [Lat.,=in the midst of lands], the world's largest inland sea, c.965,000 sq mi (2,499,350 sq km), surrounded by Europe, Asia, and Africa. Geography The Mediterranean is c.2,400 mi (3,900 km) long with a maximum width of c. to Algeria. The night before they are about to reach their destination ... Bourke-White: This has been a hard trip. Everyone is seasick. Nurse: At least the rough seas have kept German submarines from getting a good aim at us with a torpedo torpedo, in naval warfare torpedo, in naval warfare, a self-propelled submarine projectile loaded with explosives, used for the destruction of enemy ships. Although there were attempts at subsurface warfare in the 16th and 17th cent. . Naval officer NAVAL OFFICER. The name of an officer of the United States, whose duties are prescribed by various acts of congress. 2. Naval officers are appointed for the term of four years, but are removable from office at pleasure. Act of May 15, 1820, Sec. 1, 3 Story, L. : So far. As a matter of fact, a group of subs has been following us for three days. Narrator E: At 2 a.m., the boat is hit by a German torpedo. Instantly, the ship is a swarm of activity. Despite her fear, Bourke-White rushes to the top deck The term Top Deck can refer to a number of things:
Bourke-White (in her memoir): The scene will always haunt me ... the hundreds of men scrambling to escape down rope nets flung over the side [of the ship].... The water itself was alive with people swimming, people in lifeboats, people hanging to floating debris. Narrator A: Many of the ship's passengers drown. The survivors in Bourke-White's lifeboat row all night on the open sea. They're tired and frightened. Bourke-White (in her memoir): I must confess I never expected to see anyone I knew again. Narrator B: Somehow, they make it through the night. The next day, they are rescued by a destroyer destroyer, class of warship very fast relative to its length, generally equipped with torpedos, antisubmarine equipment, and medium-caliber and antiaircraft guns. The newest destroyers are equipped with guided missiles as their chief offensive weapon. . Landing safely in Algeria, Bourke-White soon bumps into just the person she wants to see--General Doolittle. Doolittle: Maggie! So, do you still want to go on a bombing mission? Bourke-White: You know I do! Doolittle: You've been torpedoed. You might as well go through everything. Narrator C: On January 22, 1943, Bourke-White boards a B-17 for a mission over German airfields in Tunis, Tunisia. The airmen, like everyone, are impressed with her courage. "BOURKE-WHITE GOES BOMBING," reads the headline when her photos are published in Life. Another barrier to female correspondents has been broken by the famous photographer. SCENE 5 Narrator D: Bourke-White continues to cover major hotspots throughout the war. In March 1945, she is in one of the hottest--with General George Patton and his troops, advancing on the German capital of Berlin. On April 11, they liberate the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald, near Weimar. No one is prepared for the sight of the dead and barely living inmates. Gen. George Patton (furious): The German people must see what has happened here. (He turns to some military policemen.) Go into the town, and bring a thousand civilians. They must never be able to say they didn't know. Narrator E: The people of Weimar are stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. by what they are forced to see. Most say that they had no idea what was happening at Buchenwald. Bourke-White (in her memoir): I saw and photographed the piles of naked, lifeless bodies. The human skeletons in furnaces. The living skeletons who would die the next day because they had had to wait too long for deliverance Deliverance See also Freedom. Aphesius epithet of Zeus, meaning ‘releaser.’ [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 292–293] Bolivar, Simón (1783–1830) the great liberator of South America. [Am. Hist. .... Using the camera was almost a relief. It interposed a slight barrier between myself and the horror in front of me. Narrator A: Bourke-White's photographs help expose the crimes of the Nazi regime, and shock the world. EPILOGUE ep·i·logue also ep·i·log n. 1. a. A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a play. b. The performer who delivers such a short poem or speech. 2. Narrator B: The end of the war in Europe in May 1945 did not slow Bourke-White down. Only the onset of Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism, degenerative brain disorder first described by the English surgeon James Parkinson in 1817. When there is no known cause, the disease usually appears after age 40 and is referred to as Parkinson's disease. in 1952 cut her career short. She died in 1971. Throughout her life, Margaret Bourke-White remained dedicated to her profession. "It is [the photographer's] sacred duty to look on two sides of a question and find the truth," she said in a speech. Carl Mydans Carl Mydans (May 20, 1907 – August 16, 2004) was an American photographer who worked for the Farm Security Administration and Life magazine. Mydans became devoted to photography while in college at Boston University. , another celebrated war photographer, paid a more direct tribute to Bourke-White. "She was always reaching beyond, trying to better what she had already done," he wrote. "She had an eye, a great feeling. In a man's world, Margaret was one of the great achievers of our time." Characters Margaret Bourke-White Emmett Chapman ("Chappie"), Margaret's husband Night foreman at the Otis Steel mill John Hill, Otis Steel Company executive Henry Luce, publisher of Time magazine Parker Lloyd-Smith, Time editor Col. J. Hampton Atkinson, U.S. Air Force pilot Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, Air Force commander * Nurse Naval officer Gen. George Patton, U.S. Army commander Narrators A-E A-E, AE above-elbow; see under amputation. * An asterisk indicates an imaginary character. All others were real people. * Think About It 1. What event did Margaret Bourke-White credit with making her a professional photographer? 2. How did being a woman make it more difficult for Bourke-White to succeed? How did she overcome those barriers? * Objectives Students should be able to: ** appreciate the life and work of an important American artist. ** understand some of the challenges pioneering women often face in order to succeed in "a man's world." * Word to Know ** offensive: a coordinated military attack. * Background No publication today could equal the reach of Life magazine, which, until 1972, could be found in millions of American homes. Many iconic i·con·ic adj. 1. Of, relating to, or having the character of an icon. 2. Having a conventional formulaic style. Used of certain memorial statues and busts. photos of the 20th century first appeared in its pages, including Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous shot of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on VJ Day in August 1945. * Critical Thinking COMPREHENSION: How does publisher Henry Luce, in his first meeting with Margaret Bourke-White, reflect the prejudices of his time? How does he transcend them? (At first, Luce must be assured that a woman can take photography seriously as a profession. Whatever his initial doubts, however, he offers Bourke-White a staff position.) * Activity EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY: Acquaint students with the power of news photographs. Choose a famous photo for them, or have them find one in an anthology. Select pictures for which the background is well known, either through accompanying news stories or the photographer's account. Then have students present this picture and its story to the class. What about the image has impact? STANDARD SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * Individual development and identity: Bourke-White exemplified talent, persistence, and courage. RESOURCES * Callahan, Sean, Margaret Bourke-White, Photographer (Bullfinch bullfinch: see finch. bullfinch Any of several species of stocky, stout-billed songbird (family Fringillidae). Eurasia has six species of the genus Pyrrhula, all boldly marked. The common bullfinch (P. pyrrhula), 6 in. , 1998). Grades 6 &up. * Rubin, Susan Goldman, Margaret Bourke-White [Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1999). Grades 7 & up. WEB SITES * Margaret Bourke-White artnet.com/artist/2869/ margaret-bourke-white.html * Margaret Bourke-White npr.org/templates/story /story.php?storyId=1175 402&sc=emaf [* All quotes are token from Portrait of Myself by Margaret Bourke-White, Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster U.S. publishing company. It was founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) and M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), whose initial project, the original crossword-puzzle book, was a best-seller. , 1963] |
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