Friday, April 12, 1996
Photographer Doris Ulmann uses her camera to capture the lyrical
repose of a lifestyle fading fast. The Getty celebrates her art in
"Doris Ulmann: Photography and Folklore"By Rodney Tanaka
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
An elderly African American preacher sits on his front porch
dressed in a suit and tie. His hat rests in his lap. Surrounding
him are attentive family members, and without speaking a word, he
receives their full consideration.
"The Preacher’s Family, South Carolina" depicts the family unit
in a small, rural community, a theme that resonates throughout the
work of photographer Doris Ulmann. A retrospective of her work,
"Doris Ulmann: Photography and Folklore" at the J. Paul Getty
Museum, features portraits and still lifes that testify to her
fascination with rural folklore, crafts and music. Her photographic
jaunts took her from her New York roots to Southern states,
including Kentucky and the Carolinas, and she interacted with
Shakers, Native American tribes and Creole residents in New
Orleans.
"I think she really felt like all of these people were important
to document," says exhibit curator Judith Keller. "A lot of these
people had never been photographed before. If she didn’t try to
record the way their lives were lived then no one would."
Ulmann studied the energetic Baptist church services of African
Americans in South Carolina during the Depression Era. The
photograph of the preacher extends the study outside of church and
into the household.
"I think that (‘The Preacher’s Family’) is an excellent example
of her work because she composes with a large group of people,
which is not an easy thing to do," says Keller. "You have the
impression that he is the patriarch of this group and he is held in
great esteem by the rest of his family."
The preacher worked on the plantation of novelist Julia
Peterkin. Ulmann traveled with Peterkin in the early 1930s to
Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina. They collaborated on the
book, "Roll, Jordan, Roll," a mixture of prose and photographs that
recorded the African American Gullah culture of South Carolina. The
book was published in 1933 and Ulmann died one year later. Peterkin
did not publish her work after Ulmann’s death.
"I think their friendship was strained before (her death), but
it still seemed to be quite a blow to Peterkin when Ulmann died,"
Keller says.
John Jacob Niles, an actor and musician, also became an
important friend and contributor to Ulmann’s work. They met in
the1920s and made several excursions through the Southern
Highlands, a region of the Appalachian mountains. The Kentucky-bred
Niles helped the photographer interact with her Southern subjects.
Together, they studied the music and folk traditions of the
area.
"Aunt Cord Ritchie and Family, Hindman, Kentucky" shows three
generations of basketweavers, apparently a grandmother, mother and
daughter. The baskets in their laps attest to the renown in which
the oldest, Aunt Cord Ritchie, was held. Keller says that the woman
was the resident expert of the area.
The collaboration between Niles and Ulmann also resulted in
photographs of Niles that reveal the intimacy of their
relationship. They often attended theater productions and other
social events in New York in between excursions.
"John Jacob Niles in Hat and Overcoat" takes a close-up view of
the musician. His eyes peer over the collar of his coat and his
forehead peeks underneath his hat.
"It gives you another side of their relationship which was not
just one of colleagues but one of people who were intimately
involved with each other and had fun together," Keller says. "There
was more to it than just interviewing people."
Niles was more than just a co-worker to Ulmann. The subjects of
her photographs were more than just objects in the frame to
her.
"They were very poor people for the most part and she didn’t
photograph them in a way that you see a lot of their surroundings,"
Keller says. "She tried to portray them in the best light possible
and with a great deal of dignity."
Ulmann dealt with her own disabilities with dignity as well. She
injured her knee in an accident and walked with a limp. She also
suffered from a stomach ailment that eventually killed her.
"She had a lot of sympathy for people who had one handicap or
another, whether it be poverty or physical injury," Keller says.
"She was genuinely interested in people."
Students interested in Ulmann will take away lessons from her
life and work.
"She was very serious about creating a body of work, and in
spite of ill health she persisted, doing a lot of traveling and
putting lots of time in the darkroom," Keller says. "She did this
all out of her own passionate interest."
ART: "Doris Ulmann: Photography and Folklore," at the J. Paul
Getty Museum through July 7. Admission is free, parking
reservations required. For more info call (310) 458-2003.
Jean Thomas and John Jacob Niles, near Ashland, Kentucky" by
Doris Ulmann, glimpses 1932 Southern life.In "The Preacher’s
Family, South Carolina, ca. 1929-31," Ulmann addresses themes of
family and religion."Cherokee woman, North Carolina," highlights
the breadth of Ulmann’s experience with various Southern
heritages.This photograph features Ulmann’s companion and
co-worker, J.J. Niles."José Clemente Orozco," (1925-1930) by
Doris Ulmann.