Steichen, Edward

Steichen, Edward

(1879–1973) photographer, curator; born in Luxembourg (brother-in-law of Carl Sandburg). Emigrating to the United States as a toddler, he was apprenticed to a Milwaukee lithographic design company in 1894. His strong sense of design led to studies in painting and photography and attracted the attention of Stieglitz in 1905, for whom he designed gallery shows and the magazine Camera Work. Commander of aerial photography during World War I, he abandoned art photography to become chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair (1923–38). Hired by the U.S. Navy to photograph World War II at sea, he was promoted from lieutenant commander to captain and organized the Road to Victory exhibit in 1941. From 1947 to 1961, he was director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art, curating some 50 exhibits including The Family of Man (1955). In 1963 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Kennedy.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.