Barry Goldwater the Photographer
Big Country, © Barry Goldwater
In the American political landscape, the name of Barry Goldwater stands apart . “Mr. Conservative”, as he was known, drove black sportscars and made international list of best-dressed man. He was known to believe in UFO’s, a free thinker, a conservative Republican whose views on certain subjects would be considered more Liberal or Libertarian than Republican in today’s standards, an avid radio operator, and, interestingly, a passionate photographer.
If Goldwater’s skills remains unknown from the general public, his talents have been recognized in his lifetime by his peers. He belonged to and was recognized by the Royal Photographic Society of London and the Photographic Society of America. Ansel Adams was one of his mentors, and they developed a long and solid friendship. In his introduction to one of Goldwater’s photography’s book, Adams wrote about his friend: “We must always make a clear distinction between the professional and the amateur. Barry Goldwater is, in my opinion, a fine and eager amateur. Some of the best photographers in the history of art have been amateurs, in the sense that they did not live by their avocation. Yet they worked as hard as any competitive photographer in the professional field.”
He had an impeccable eye to portray his beloved state, Arizona, and particularly the Grand Canyon, which he called his “mistress”. He also recorded with his camera the happenings of the political scene. According to his daughter Joanne and granddaughter Allison, whom I met for an interview, there are still piles of unpublished work by the late senator that would be worth seeing.
For more on Goldwater and photography, read my article published today in “La Lettre de la Photographie”
