Porter, Eliot

American, 1901-1990

BiographyUntil he saw the photographs of Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter was a scientist and teacher. Influenced by Adams and Alfred Stieglitz, Porter decided to devote himself to photography and eventually became one of the best-known documenters of the unspoiled outdoor world and its creatures, especially birds. Spruce Trees and River, Colorado attests to Porter’s profound interest in–and mastery of–the exquisite color and patterns found in the natural world.

In 1979, the work of Eliot Porter was exhibited in Intimate Landscapes, the first one-person show of color photography at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. This exhibition earned Porter praise as the individual who brought credibility to color photography as a medium of fine art. Porter developed new technical methods of photographing animals, birds, and insects. He was a scientist as well as an artist: he graduated from Harvard’s School of Engineering in 1924, and from Harvard Medical School in 1929. Born in 1901 in Winnetka, Illinois, Porter died in 1990.