Yves GARY Affichages : 465
Catégorie : PHOTOGRAPHES
Albert Cook Church was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1880, the son of a tugboat captain. His hobby of photography developed into a vocation and as a result of his early exposure to the sea and New Bedford harbor, he concentrated on photographing whalers and whaling, thus documenting the final days of New Bedford's most important industry.
Other subjects that Church photographed were fishing operations, fish processing, fishing schooner races, and schooner construction. His ability as a photographer led to his being given special assignments for the New Bedford Standard Times.
In conjunction with his photography, Church also developed skills as a writer. His first article, Whaling, Past And Present, was published in 1908 in New England Magazine. He wrote several more articles for this magazine as well as for Yachting and then published his first book, Whale Ships and Whaling (1938). His other book credit is American Fishermen (1940), which he did not author but which is profusely illustrated with his photographs.
During the first World War, Church left New Bedford for several years, and on his return after the war, he offered illustrated lectures on "Submarines in Their Application to Modern Warfare." He also served as president of the Submarine Writers' Association.
From 1936 until his death in 1965, Church maintained a darkroom and exhibit studio at the Pierce & Kilburn marine yard in Fairhaven. Although his photograph production slowed considerably, he was kept active reproducing prints. At his death, maritime museums engaged in an extensive search for Church's 65,000 negatives, few of which have yet been recovered.
| Albert Cook Church - 2 PHOTOS | |||||
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- MSS 33: Albert Cook Church Papers, 1878-1976 - New Bedford Whaling Museum
