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A Long Look: Documentary Photography, 1888-2016

A Long Look: Documentary Photography, 1888-2016 traces more than a century of photographers turning their lenses toward the world as witnesses, advocates, and storytellers. From the late nineteenth century, when advances in camera technology first allowed photographers to record spontaneous moments, to the bold and colorful images of today, documentary photography has shaped how people see the world, both its past and its present.

Documentary photographers traditionally immerse themselves in their subjects. Bruce Davidson spent ten days living in the mining communities of South Wales producing his Welsh Miners portfolio. Aaron Siskind’s Harlem Document project plays out over nine years, showing the vibrant life of Black Americans in Harlem in the 1930s. Donna Ferrato has spent decades documenting survivors of domestic violence and advocating for their welfare. Documentary photographers reveal how sustained engagement with their subjects, over ten days or several decades, produces images that challenge stereotypes, humanize the unfamiliar, and deepen public understanding.

Spanning from 1888 to 2016, A Long Look invites viewers to consider the significance of documentary photography as a medium, asking how photographs shape collective memory and inspire social awareness. Documentary photographers must often navigate the tension between art and journalism, frequently occupying a grey area between the two. A Long Look is presented in conjunction with LIFE: Six Women Photographers to foster discussions on the relationship between documentary photography and photojournalism.