Callahan left almost no written records—no diaries, letters, scrapbooks
or teaching notes.
His technical photographic method was to go out
almost every morning, walk the city he lived in and take numerous
pictures.
Callahan met his future wife—Eleanor Knupp on a blind date in 1933. At
that time she was a secretary at Chrysler Motors in Detroit and he was a
clerk. They married three years later. In 1950 their daughter Barbara
was born.
He photographed his wife and daughter and the streets, scenes and
buildings of cities where he lived, showing a strong sense of line and
form, and light and darkness.
From 1948 to 1953 Eleanor, and sometimes Barbara, were shown out in the
landscape as a tiny counterpoint to large expanses of park, skyline or
water.
Aix-en-Provence, Francee, 1958
Aix-en-Provence, Francee, 1958
Chicago, 1954
...To be a photographer, one must photograph. No
amount of book learning, no checklist of seminars attended, can
substitute for the simple act of making pictures. Experience is the best
teacher of all. And for that, there are no guarantees that one will
become an artist. Only the journey matters...
(Harry Callahan)
1953
Chicago, 1951
Chicago, 1949
Figure, 1948