Untitled
c. 1948
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 13.97 × 20.96 cm (5 1/2 × 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Ben Shneiderman)
Accession Number
2015.19.4968
Art Historical Context
David Seymour, known professionally as Chim, was a photojournalist and co-founder of Magnum Photos, for his compassionate, humanistic images that captured the raw emotions of ordinary people amid historical upheaval. This untitled *gelatin silver print* from around 1948 exemplifies his signature style: intimate, black-and-white photography that prioritized emotional depth over sensationalism. Measuring a modest 13.97 × 20.96 cm, its small scale invites close contemplation, drawing viewers into the poignant narratives Chim so masterfully conveyed. Created in the immediate aftermath of World Wa...
About the Artist
David Seymour (Chim)
David Seymour, born Dawid Szymin on November 20, 1911, in Warsaw, Poland, became one of the defining photojournalists of the twentieth century. Raised in a family of Yiddish and Hebrew publishers, he studied graphic arts in Leipzig before pursuing further studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he began his career as a freelance photographer in 1933. His work first appeared in the French magazine ...