Barbara Morgan dance photographs

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 1021

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Barbara Morgan dance photographs comprise 36 photographs taken by Barbara Morgan (1900-1992), an American photographer best known for her depictions of modern dancers. The prints in the collection show well-known dancers and choreographers in various poses and performances, including Valerie Bettis, Si-Lan Chen, Merce Cunningham, Asadata Dafora, Martha Graham, Erick Hawkins, Doris Humphrey, José Limón, Pearl Primus, and others. Morgan originally took these photographs between 1935 and 1945. Some of the prints in the collection, identified as vintage, were printed near the original period that the picture was first taken. Others were printed later -- between the 1960s and 1980s. However, all of the photographs in the collection were printed during Barbara Morgan's lifetime. Most of the prints bear Morgan's original signature and some include Morgan's notes and/or stamp. Martha Graham is the most represented person in the images, with a selection of other early modern dance subjects, as well as a photomontage titled "Pure Energy and Neurotic Man" and an outdoor work titled "Children Dancing By the Lake."

Dates

Creation: 1935 - 1945
Creation: Printed late 1930s through 1980s

Creator

Morgan, Barbara Brooks, 1900-1992 (Photographer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection stored off-site. Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

While the USC Music Library is the owner of the physical items in this collection, copyright for the images in the collection is held by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Library Special Collections. The UCLA Library can grant permission to publish for materials to which it holds the copyright. All requests for permission to publish must be submitted in writing to both the USC Music Library at music@usc.edu and to UCLA Library Special Collections.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Biographical / Historical

Barbara Morgan (July 8, 1900 - August 17, 1992) was born Barbara Brooks Johnson in Buffalo, Kansas. Morgan spent most of her youth in Southern California, going on to study and, later, teach at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1925, Barbara Johnson married Willard D. Morgan, a writer and photographer. Barbara Morgan is best known for her depictions of American modern dance. Morgan also co-founded the photography magazine Aperture with Ansel Adams, Melton Ferris, Dorothea Lange, Ernest Louie, Beaumont Newhall, Nancy Newhall, Dody Warren, and Minor White.

Extent

3.67 Linear Feet (36 photographs in 2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Nils Morgan, December 4 2023.

Related Materials

Related archival collections:

Barbara and Willard Morgan photographs and papers (Collection 2278). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Barbara Morgan photographs (Collection 1873). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Barbara Morgan photographs of Martha Graham and Company. MS-P64. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Barbara Morgan Wight Gallery collection (Collection 1872). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.