Dr. Schweitzer in Africa with Worker
W. Eugene Smith, Dr. Schweitzer in Africa with Worker, 1954, gelatin silver print, Bequest of Fae Heath Batten, © unknown, research required, 1997.58.120
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Dr. Schweitzer in Africa with Worker
- Artist
- Date
1954
- Medium
gelatin silver print
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
image: 7 11/16 in x 6 in; sheet: 10 in x 8 in
- Collection Area
Photography
- Category
Photographs
- Object Type
photograph
- Culture
American
- Credit Line
Bequest of Fae Heath Batten
- Accession Number
1997.58.120
- Copyright
© unknown, research required
- Terms
Physician, missionary, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) was the subject of the 1954 Life magazine story “A Man of Mercy.” The 25 published photographs, selected from more than four thousand made by W. Eugene Smith, depict the construction of a village in French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon) for people suffering from leprosy. This photograph, which appears above the title on the first page of the photo-essay, reinforces the image of Schweitzer as a leader—or even a savior. Schweitzer’s white pith helmet suggests a halo, while the silhouetted hand and saw in the lower-right corner—added later by Smith in the darkroom—further connects Schweitzer to concepts of Christian leadership.
- Exhibitions
2002 Recent Acquisitions - Photography Portland Art Museum
2011 One Woman’s Legacy: Selections from the Fae Heath Batten Photography Bequest Portland Art Museum
