Movie Monday - the Photo League

1. What was The Photo League's credo?
   The Photo League's credo was the idea that social change can be achieved through two things: documentary photography and an emotional empathetic connection to the subject of the photo.
2. What organization did The Photo League separate from?
   The original organization was called the Film and Photo League, but a group called the Frontier Films split off from the original group and the original organization was renamed the Photo League.
3. What was the workshop?
   The workshop was an in-depth study of New York's recreational group. 
4. Who taught "the workshop?"
   Sid Grossman taught the workshops.
5. If you were to devote one year of your life to one project, what project is worth your time and energy?
   I would devote one year of my life to improving awareness about feminism around the world.
6. What was The Harlem Document?
   The Harlem Document was a collection of Siskind's photos that showed the lifestyles of the people of Harlem. It included anything from street scenes to a view of their houses.
7. Who started The Harlem Document?
   Aaron Siskind started the Harlem Document.
8. A photographer discusses a photograph where "the children looked like they came out of a __________ painting. Who was the painter?
   Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was the painter. 
9. Why did the photograph mentioned in #8 look like it was by the painter?
   The scene of the photograph had brilliant illumination by the sun, which looked similar to the lighting in the painter's paintings. 
10. Who was Lewis Hine? (name two significant contributions)
    Lewis Hine was a member of the Photo League. He was a social photographer that pioneered the style of photography the Photo League members used. He initially followed immigrants from Ellis Island to New York, and recorded their living conditions. He also took pictures of the expansion of the steel construction industry by highlighting the positive skill and dedication of the American worker. He was the official photographer of the Empire State Building.
11. Who was Weegee?
    Weegee was the strangest member of the Photo League. He specialized in photographing morbid themes of mayhem and murder. Before, he had worked as a dark room technician.
12. How did The League change when The Nazis took power?
    When the Nazis took power, the League received a flood of gifted refugee photographers from other countries. 
13. How did The League change during WWII?
    Female photographers began to have a more active role in running the Photo League more during the second World war. Most males were enlisted in the armed forces, and some even focused on war photography. 
14. How did Siskind change after WWII?
    After World War II, Siskind started to look for significance in the inanimate forms he viewed around him. He may have been looking for some sense of tranquility in his art depicting the chaos and havoc of the war.
15. What was the Evening post?
    The Evening Post was a magazine that published issues twice a month initially, then changed to publish once, then later, twice a week.
16. Who was Barbara Morgan? What did she photograph?
    Barbara Morgan was an early member of the Photo League that was known for photographing dancers. 
17. What eventually undermined the Photo League?
    Informants for the FBI testified that the Photo League was a front organization for the Communist Party during Red Scare. 
18. What was the "Growing Menace" mentioned in the film?
    Fascism was the Growing Menance mentioned in the film.
19. Who agreed to serve as President when The League was under investigation?
    Harry Truman was serving as president of the United States.
20. What happened to the league?
    The League was forced to disband due to the accusations of communism.