Re: [Leica] Re:Nachtwey

[Dan Cardish <dcardish@microtec.net>]

By the way, the famous photo of the mother bathing her mercury poisoned
daughter from Minamata has been withdrawn from circulation.  It seems that
the widow of Smith gave the copyright of the photo to the mother, who has
decided that she no longer wishes to see the photo in any new publications,
 She has even made a general request that galleries stop displaying the photo.

From an article in the June/July issue of Camera Arts by Jim Hughes.

Dan C.

At 06:30 AM 28-06-00 -0700, Ted Grant wrote:
>Arthur wrote:
> 
>>>>>>>> And do you  really think that one photo, or a thousand, can
>alter the course of history
>> or save even one life?  It's a nice idea, but I don't think it
works.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>
>Carl Cook responded:
>> Try Eugene Smith's Nurse Midwife essay for Life that brought in some $25k
>> -- unsolicited -- to build a clinic, or his classic Minamata essay and book
>> that brought the environmental movement to Japan. Photos can be mighty
>> persuasive.<<<<<<<<<<<
>
>Hi Carl,
>Eugene Smith produced his works before TV had it's hold on the mind's of
>people as it does today, certainly while watching it and the same images
>twice or more times a day along with the 6 pm news. 
>
>TV brings the message to everyone without effort and is a form of
>entertainment for many,  people today don't have the same "60's"
>reaction to the horrors of war, famine etc. simply because it is viewed
>..... "movie like."   Therefore who takes it seriously?  Yep some folks
>very much so, but in general, I imagine on an overall basis the numbers
>per capita who are horrified by it, are much less than in the 60's.
>
>Remember CNN TV coverage during the Gulf War? Heck the first night of
>raids, who wasn't mesmerized by the images of the return fire from
>anti-aircraft weapons? It was so surrealistic and very "Hollywood
>looking." How could anyone take it seriously?  And really, how many
>people went screaming and demonstrating in the streets of the world to
>stop it? Some.  Unfortunately the world basically went on as usual
>because it was merely flitting moments on the tube in the living room.
>
>The Eugene Smith era was in the living room all right and it stayed
>before you as long as you read the book and not for a few moments of a
>somewhat sordid form of flashing entertainment.
>
>The weird thing is, people in some countries, probably North America
>more so than others, would go apoplectic if there were as many hours of
>pornography on the idiot box as there were of the Gulf War or any of the
>other "events" that take place in the world today.
>
>I don't think James Natchwey's book, as horrific and moving as it is, 
>will move the people to the streets against the injustices of one human
>being over another.  TV has created a form of visual immune system that
>wasn't there during Minamata or the Nurse Midwife times.  God help us if
>there is an event so disastrous that the people of the world rebel
>against all the horrors of war. 
>
>Unfortunately, we are all the losers for it!
>ted
>
>