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William Herbert Mortensen

author · photographer

American[1,2] b. 27 January 1897, Park City, Utah[1,2] d. 12 August 1965, Laguna Beach, California[1,2] active 1920–1965

William Herbert Mortensen (1897–1965) was a prominent American glamour photographer and Pictorialist known for his Hollywood portraits during the 1920s to 1940s. Born in Park City, Utah, to Danish immigrants, he studied illustration at the Art Students League in New York before moving to Hollywood. Mortensen's work is characterized by a romanticist, painterly approach that utilized techniques such as bromoil processes and manual manipulation of negatives with paints and pumice. He was often criticized by 'straight photography' proponents like Ansel Adams for his theatrical set-ups and imaginative subject matter, which included themes of witchcraft, demons, and historical figures. Despite this controversy, he remains a significant figure in 20th-century photography, particularly for his technical mastery and his role as an educator who taught his methods at the William Mortensen School of Photography in Laguna Beach.[1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]

  • Pictorialism
  • Hollywood portraits
  • Grotesque art
  • Witchcraft
  • Demons
  • Romanticism

Books

  1. William Herbert Mortensen Monsters & Madonnas 1368
    Monsters & Madonnas
    William Herbert Mortensen
    €178.00

Works by William Herbert Mortensen

  • 1936 Monsters & Madonnas: A Book of Methods Camera Craft Publishing Company · book · English A distilled manifesto and book of methods focusing on art and photography.
  • 1934 Projection Control Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English
  • 1935 Pictorial Lighting Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English
  • 1937 The Command to Look: A Formula for Picture Success Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English Describes his history and relationship to photography with lessons for obtaining pictorial impact.
  • 1937 The Model: A Book on the Problems of Posing Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English
  • 1938 Print Finishing Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English
  • 1940 Outdoor Portraiture: Problems of Face and Figure in Natural Environment Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English
  • 1940 Mortensen on the Negative Simon & Schuster · book · English
  • 1941 Flash in Modern Photography Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English Co-authored with Don M. Paul.
  • 1942 The New Projection Control Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English
  • 1954 The Texture Screen Jay Curtis Publications · book · English
  • 1954 The Female Figure: Flesh and Symbol Jay Curtis Publications · book · English
  • 1954 The Paper Negative Jay Curtis Publications · book · English
  • 1954 Know Your Negative Jay Curtis Publications · book · English
  • 1956 How to Pose the Model Camera Craft Pub. Co. · book · English Co-authored with George Dunham.

Awards

  • 1949 Hood Medal Royal Photographic Society

References

  1. William Mortensen. 2025 link
  2. J. Stephen Gillette. The life and times of William Herbert Mortensen: United States, 1897-1965. PSA Journal. 1997
  3. Adjutant General's Office of the War Department. Military service cards, c. 1898 – 1975.. Utah Department of Administrative Services link
  4. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Passport Applications.. 1925
  5. Fay Wray. On The Other Hand: A Life Story. St. Martin's Press. 1989
  6. Michael R. Peres. Focal encyclopedia of photography: digital imaging, theory and applications. Focal Press. 2007
  7. Lynne Warren. Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography. Taylor and Francis. 2006
  8. Larry Lytle. THE COMMAND TO LOOK: The Story of William Mortensen, Part I. thescreamonline.com. 2010 link
  9. The Photographer Who Ansel Adams Called The Anti-Christ. Arts & Culture. Smithsonian. 2014 link
  10. Larry Lytle. THE COMMAND TO LOOK: The Story of William Mortensen, Part III. thescreamonline.com. 2010 link
  11. Hood Medal. rps.org. Royal Photographic Society. 2013 link