Margaret Bouke
White never thought she would be a famous
photographer. In 1921, when Margaret
was 17, she went to college to study
herpetology, or the study of snakes and
reptiles. That same year her father
died leaving her family with little money.
To stay in college Margaret
got a job taking and selling pictures of the college
campus using her
father’s broken camera. That summer she got a job as the
photographer and
counselor at a summer camp. Even though she liked taking
pictures, for
Margaret, photography was still a hobby. But architects and
other
photographers were impressed with her photographs and encouraged her to
use her
talent. When she graduated in 1927, Margaret turned down a position
at the
Museum of Natural History and went to Cleveland to open her own
photography
studio. Margaret had courage and talent from the beginning. At
first she did
advertising work for schools and other businesses but never
stopped working on
her artistic skills. For example, as she was walking by
she noticed a preacher
speaking in a square with only a group of pigeons to
hear. Margaret wanted to
take his picture but she didn't have her camera with
her. She ran into a camera
store and asked to rent or borrow a camera. The
picture became one of her first
works of art and the owner of the store
became one of her best friends. One of
Margaret's early dreams was to
photograph the inside of a steel mill but women
weren't allowed inside. Being
a woman didn't stop her and the pictures were a
success. Her shots were
published in magazines all over the country and got
Margaret her first
big job, at Fortune magazine in New York. With Margaret's
photos Fortune
became one of the leading photography magazines. The magazine had
also made
her a star but Margaret still kept her studio, which had grown to a
staff of
eight and moved to the Chrysler building. In 1930 Fortune sent Margaret
on
one of her biggest assignments, to Germany to capture foreign
industry.
Curious about the Soviet Union she wanted to extend her trip
but very few
foreigners were allowed into the country. As she once said,
"nothing
attracts me like a closed door." Margaret never gave up and,
after
impressing Russian officials with her portfolio, was admitted into the
country.
She made a total of three trips and gained a reputation for
being and expert on
Russian industry. In 1931 she wrote her first book,
Eyes on Russia. During World
War II Margaret was sent Europe to cover the
war. She got pictures of her own
ship being torpedoed and became the first
woman in a bomber. She also went with
General Patton's troops to be one
of the firsts to photograph a concentration
camp. When she returned to the
U.S. she wrote another book about the war, Purple
Heart Valley. In 1950
Margaret was awarded an American Women of Achievement
award but only seven
years later she would no longer be able to hold a camera.
She was
diagnosed with Parkinson's disease but at first refused to believe
the
diagnosis. Margaret Bourke- White died in 1971, at 67 years old. Margaret
was
one of the greatest photographers but also one of the greatest women. She
paved
the way for many women in all professions, not just photographers, with
her
courage and
determination.