About the Digital Collection
This digital collection includes finished prints and contact sheets by 20th century American photographer William Gedney made between 1955 and 1989. The quantity and condition of the materials reveal Gedney's intense dedication to his work, and his interest in street photography, portraiture, night photography, creative composition, and the study of human nature. His work took him across the United States several times (with a focus on Chicago, Detroit, South Dakota, Kentucky and California), to India, England, Ireland, Paris and Amsterdam.
Source Collection
This digital collection comprises selected materials from the following archival collection at David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library:
William Gedney photographs and papers 1887, circa 1920, 1940-1998 and undated
Collection #RL.10032 | 115.0 Linear Feet; 336 boxes, 1 oversize folder
ABSTRACT
Collection comprises the entirety of
William Gedney's photographic career, beginning with his student years at Pratt Institute in
the 1950s to his early death in 1989. The materials reveal Gedney's intense and meticulous
dedication to his work, and his interest in street photography, portraiture, night
photography, and the study of human nature. His earliest serious project was undertaken in
Kentucky, where he stayed with a coal-miner's family for several weeks in 1964 and again in
1972. His work took him across the U.S. several times, with extensive photographic projects
in Chicago, Detroit, Pennsylvania, South Dakota - particularly the Rosebud Sioux Indian
Reservation, and southern and northern California. During these trips, as well as in New
York City, he also photographed well-known composers. Fascinated by human group dynamics, he
photographed parades, hippies and other street people, and crowds. He also traveled to
Kolkata (Calcutta) and Varanasi (Benares), India, England, Ireland, Paris, and Amsterdam.
The collection offers roughly 76,000 unique images represented by the over 2000 contact
sheets, with over 19,000 selected images in the form of work prints and 1466 exhibit-quality
large prints. Other formats include slides, a complete set of master negatives, and personal
snapshots. The breadth of these materials offers deep insights into Gedney's editorial
process and artistic vision. Additional perspectives on his life and work can be found in
his many notebooks and journals; artwork; handmade books; correspondence files; financial,
legal and medical records; memorabilia; audiocassettes; and teaching materials. Acquired as
part of the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.
Copyright
This collection is in copyright, and copyright is held by Duke University and is made available for research, scholarship and private study. For reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please consult https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.
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