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William Herbert Mortensen

author · photographer

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]

Themes

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

Books

  1. William Herbert Mortensen Monsters & Madonnas 1368
    Monsters & Madonnas
    author · photographer
    €21.00

Works by William Herbert Mortensen

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