Elliott Erwitt, North Carolina, 1950
Text by Bruce Berman
Elliott Erwitt is most generally known for his witty, funny –some say slapstick– photographs. He was a working photographer represented by the seminal photo agency, Magnum. As such he did everything from general photojournalism for the great magazines of the era, such as Collier’s, Look, Life, and Holiday, capturing iconic moments for travel, products, and country features during the golden age of illustrated magazines.
He is less known for his photojournalism, especially his important work on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s.
Ironically, in his long career –he worked as a photographer for nearly 70 years– starting in the late 1940s and continuing well into the 21st century, with his career spanning over seven decades until his death in 2023.
The North Carolina water fountains photrograph is one of those imoporetant images that helped build the storm of Civil Rights legistations culminating in the mid 1960s.
The photograph captures the era’s deep racism, and is part of his significant body of work for Magnum Photos, showcasing his humanistic approach to documenting American life.
Technically, it is one of his least masterful images. It is not in particularly good sharpness, the composition is a little “off,” cutting the man in half (a compositional no no) at the “colored” fountain, etc.
Like many great photojournalism images, the content far outweighs the technical. He must have grabbed this “on the run,” fast, and its impact has been furious.