Beaumont Newhall
| Beaumont Newhall | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 22, 1908 Lynn, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died |
February 26, 1993 (aged 84) Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | The History of Photography |
Beaumont Newhall (June 22, 1908 – February 26, 1993) was an American curator, art historian, writer, and photographer. His book The History of Photography remains one of the most significant accounts in the field and has become a classic photographic history textbook. Newhall was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for his accomplishments in the study of photo history.
Beaumont Newhall was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, United States, on June 22, 1908. He was the son of Herbert W. Newhall and Alice Lillia Davis. Some of his earliest childhood memories revolved around photography. He recalled watching his mother in her darkroom as she developed her own glass plate images as well as dipping his fingers into the chemical trays to see what they tasted like.
Although Newhall wanted to study film and photography in college, the subjects were not being taught as separate disciplines when he enrolled at Harvard University. Instead, he chose to study art history and museum studies.
While at Harvard, Newhall was greatly influenced by his instructor Paul J. Sachs. In 1931, after receiving his master's degree from Harvard, Sachs helped Newhall obtain a position as lecturer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia.
Newhall continued his graduate studies at the Institute of Art and Archaeology of the University of Paris, and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. He worked briefly for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Massachusetts branch of the Public Works Administration. Because of financial difficulties during the Depression, Newhall was not able to devote himself to his doctoral studies, and eventually accepted a position at the Museum of Modern Art as a stable source of income.
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