Sol Libsohn (1914 - 2001 )

Sol Libsohn was born in Harlem, New York to immigrant parents from Poland and Russia. He grew up in New York City and was influenced by art at a young age. Libsohn fell into photography, a field in which he was self taught; his schooling consisted of night courses at the City College of New York. In 1936, Libsohn and fellow photographer Sid Grossman started The Photo League when the Film and Photo League disbanded. In 1946 Libsohn moved to Roosevelt, New Jersey, which would be his home until he died. Libsohn did extensive photographic work for the Standard Oil of New Jersey Project (SONJ), headed by Roy Stryker, and afterwards worked for Stryker's next project in Pittsburgh. Libsohn taught at Trenton High School and Princeton University, and continued his involvement in photography and the arts until his death in 2001.

ROY STRYKER (1893-1975)

Although not a photographer himself, Roy Stryker was one of the most prominent figures in American documentary photography. Stryker organized photographers to take pictures for projects such as the Farm Security Administration. Another project he headed was for the Standard Oil of New Jersey Company (1943-1950); the company wanted documentation of their field operations and other aspects of the oil industry in the 1940s. SONJ was the “largest photographic documentation project ever undertaken in America by anyone other than the federal government.”(1) Stryker also managed projects for the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and for James & Laughlin Steel. He hired talented individuals who could comprehend, relate to, and successfully photograph truck drivers, drillers, farmers, and local merchants. Stryker gave his photographers the individual freedom to approach their subjects with an eye for beauty as well as social content. (TMB)

(1)Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh web site (see link below).

Photograph from the “Food for New York City” Series

Photograph from the “Food for New York City” Series, New York City Federal Art Project, WPA, 1939. Photograph courtesy National Archives, Records of the Work Projects Administration (69-ANP-8-P3032-85).

Although the photograph above was taken in New York City, Libsohn did take pictures in the Garden State. One is “Show Barker, New Jersey State Fair, Trenton, NJ” from 1947, a copy of which is owned by the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton.(1) “Show Barker” is a night scene depicting entertainment at the New Jersey state fair. The photograph is an action shot with dramatic tonal contrast. The facial expression of the show barker with his microphone has a frightening undertone; this contrasts with the not-so-enthused expressions of the people standing on stage with their motorcycles. The skull and crossbones in the top right corner and the topic of suicide motorcycles boldly add to the mood of the image. The bottom of the photograph is also the bottom of the stage, which allows viewers to feel as if they are part of the event. (TMB)

(1)Michael Bzdak and Charles Stainback, Stated as Fact: Photographic Documents of New Jersey (Exhibition catalogue, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, 1990).

Additional Reference:

University of Louisville Special Collections web site (see link below).