World Photography Day: Hansel Mieth: Vagabond Photographer

Hansel Mieth is the compelling tale of a pioneering woman photojournalist who created some of the most indelible images of mid-twentieth century America. Armed with convictions, perseverance, and talent, she carved out a career in the male-dominated world of photojournalism, eventually becoming a celebrated LIFE Magazine staff photographer, only the second woman to occupy that position. The film is narrated by Mieth in her own words. Mieth was a German working-class immigrant who arrived in this country in the midst of the Great Depression, having been denied the educational opportunities she craved. Throughout her career, she was accompanied by photojournalist Otto Hagel. Their tumultuous marriage and artistic collaboration spanned nearly five decades. They lived and documented the reality of the Depression, struggling themselves as migrant farm workers. Their photographs revealed a more intimate story of the Depression than those of official photographers. During the late 1930's and 1940's -- the golden age of pictorial magazines -- Mieth's and Hagel's images of strikers, criminals, scientists, cowboys, Native Americans, and countless others appeared in every major publication in America. Mieth was internationally acclaimed as one of the most courageous, principled, and influential photographers of her time. Her photographs stand as a testament to her humanity and to her unyielding commitment to social justice.