Family of Man

[asakiyume]

In 1955, the Museum of Modern Art staged an exhibition titled The Family of Man. I wasn't alive then, but in my childhood, I often took the accompanying book out of the library, and as an adult, I bought a copy. The list of famous photographers (and photographs, like Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother") is impressive, but what I loved and continue to love is, first, seeing powerful moments in human experience from all over the world--grieving, celebrating, solitary and in pairs and crowds--and second, what things it chose to celebrate: not only birth and death, childhood and old age, work and play, but also education, rule of law, justice.

I love so much how hard it tried to be inclusive. A large number of the photos come from the United States and Western Europe, but they managed to get one or two from the Soviet Union, a fair number from Asia, and some from Africa, South America, and Australia. No single exhibition or photo essay can do everything and nothing's beyond criticism, but every time I come to the book,** I'm moved.

If you image search on "family of man," you'll come up with many sample photos, but here are a few that caught my eye this morning that don't come up on an image search

These, for learning to write:


photo: David Seymour


photos: John Philips (L) and Roman Vishniac (R)

This, because contemplating the deep questions of life is hard work:


photo: Bert Hardy

This, for the powerful pairing of words and image:


photo: Homer Page

And these, for enduring relationships ... limited in only showing heterosexual pairs, but still moving.




photos: Emmy Andriesse (L) and Dmitri Kessel (R)


photos: Alma Lavenson (L) and Alfred Eisenstaedt (R)

I apologize for cutting off the sides of some of these with the scanner!

Last, because birds, light, dark, beauty, sun:


photo: William Garnett

I was looking through this because I was making my own photo collection the other day, to serve as prompts for the class I do creative writing with. It includes two photos from The Family of Man (not shown here). I'm proud of it! I'll share it at some point...


**The book was designed by the artist Leo Lionni, who I like for the children's picture book Frederick.

Comments

[sonia]

Thanks for sharing those photos! I'll have to find this book. I loved Frederick when I was a kid, and even more Alexander and the Windup Mouse.

[asakiyume]

Oh you must find the book. The images, and the quotations. It makes you brim over with the best sort of love.

[sonia]

On request at the library already! :-)

[asakiyume]

MY WORK HERE IS DONE

[kore]

Aw, my parents had this book when I was a kid. I don't know what happened to it, tho.

[asakiyume]

It's worth finding--for the quotations as well as the images.

"Behold this and always love it! It is very sacred, and you must treat it as such" --attribution says "Sioux Indian." It's paired with pictures of people in France, Japan, China, and Turkey putting paper ballots in sealed boxes.

"You are the young wonder-tree plant, grown out of ruins." --attribution says "Baronga--African Folk Tale," and it's paired with pictures of teens and young adults having fun.

"The hills and the sea and the earth dance. The world of man dances in laughter and tears." --Kabir
Paired with pictures of people dancing.

"If I did not work, these worlds would perish" --Bhagavad-Gita
Paired with miners, bricklayers, child laborers

[zyzyly]

I remember that book. My grandpa had it. Since I got all of his books, it must be here somewhere.

[asakiyume]

If you can dig it out, you will surely enjoy it.

[osprey_archer]

Oh, how wonderful! I love these sort of "people around the world" books - we borrowed a copy of Material World from a friend when I was perhaps 12, and I loved all the pictures of people just living their lives in all these different countries - how things were the same, and how they were different. So many different ways of tackling the same human problems.

[asakiyume]

This is a *great* example of that type of book.

[amaebi]

Thank you so much.

Man, for at twenty years after the Second World War, the emergency of othering and what it can lead to was emblazoned on USian minds and policy, though of course in limited and faulty ways.

Say, have you read Vivian Gussin Paley's book about doing an entire year of nursery school or Kindergarten around Lionni's books?

[asakiyume]

I haven't! I have mixed feelings about the messages in Lionni's books--though I guess that doesn't make them bad as teaching tools; in fact, it could make them better. I do love his art style.

[queenoftheskies]

Thank you for sharing. These are magnificent, and thought-provoking.

[asakiyume]

Thank you--it's a really wonderful book.

[sovay]

In 1955, the Museum of Modern Art staged an exhibition titled The Family of Man. I wasn't alive then, but in my childhood, I often took the accompanying book out of the library, and as an adult, I bought a copy.

Oh, wow. Thank you for these!

[asakiyume]

You're very welcome. If I had had time and if the upload mechanism at DW wasn't such a bear, I would have probably uploaded more.

[nineweaving]

Must dig my copy out. Thank you for reminding me so vividly.

Nine

[asakiyume]

My pleasure. It's wonderful seeing how many people do know this book!

[minoanmiss]

*reads, and delights*

[asakiyume]

^_^

[light_of_summer]

I love this book, too! Thanks for the reminder!

[asakiyume]

My pleasure! I was glad to have an occasion to spend time with the book again.

[snakypoet]

Ha, I was alive then, and it was indeed a wonderful, ground-breaking exhibition. I still have my copy of the beautiful book. But it's been a long while since I looked at it. Many thanks for this lovely reminder. Also for the idea of using the photos as prompts for the creative writing class I recently started. (Smile.)

[asakiyume]

Hee! Hope your students give you some excellent stories.

[khiemtran]

Sounds fascinating! Thanks for sharing...

[asakiyume]

My pleasure. It was disappointing how few photos were from Australia! I only noticed about two (there may have been more).