PHOTO MEMO NO. 1 and 4
Roy E. Stryker (editor)

Roy E. Stryker: PHOTO MEMO No. 1 [subtitled FROM: THE PICTURE FILES OF THE STANDARD OIL CO. (N. J.)]. NYC: Standard Oil Company (N. J.), October 1945. Original edition. A very good original magazine in printed self-wrappers. Spine bottom is splitting and the rest of the spine shows edgewear and cover has a couple of tiny diagonal creases. Laid in is a TLS (dated December 17, 1945) from Roy Stryker on Standard Oil Company Letterhead. These two issues of PHOTO MEMO represent an important and very uncommon chapter in the history of American documentary photography.

9.25 x 12 stapled magazine with 16 pages of images culled from the photographic files of the Standard Oil Company (N. J.). Includes b/w images from John Vachon, Edwin Rosskam, Esther Bubley, Harold Corsini, John Collier, and a photographer simply identified as Lofman (?).

Contents are photo essays entitled "Trip to the Jungle," "What the Well-Dressed Oil Man (sometimes) Wears," "The Men Who Find Oil," and "Oil Town."

Roy E. Stryker: PHOTO MEMO No. 4 [subtitled FROM: THE PICTURE FILES OF THE STANDARD OIL CO. (N. J.)]. NYC: Standard Oil Company (N. J.), August 1947. Original edition. A very good original magazine in printed self-wrappers. Covers are lightly thumbed and spine bottom is splitting.

9.25 x 12 stapled magazine with 16 pages of images culled from the photographic files of the Standard Oil Company (N. J.). Includes b/w images from Harold Corsini, Edwin Rosskam, Gordon Parks, Sol Libsohn, Arnold Eagle, Esther Bubley, John Vachon and John Collier.

Contents are photo essays entitled "Liquid Freight," "Oil Country," "Hands," and "Conservation."

Best known as the man who directed the taking of over 150,000 photographs for the Farm Security Administration during the New Deal era, Roy Stryker (1893-1975) is one of the most prominent figures in the development of American documentary photography. In addition to the Farm Security Administration photographs, Stryker directed documentary projects for the Standard Oil (New Jersey) Company (1943-1950), the city of Pittsburgh (1950-1951) and Jones & Laughlin Steel (1952-1958.)

Many of the same photographers who worked with Stryker in the FSA and OWI followed him to Standard Oil when he was hired to improve the corporation's public image. Photographs were made freely available for any use, appearing in newspapers and major magaz ines as well as oil-related publications.

Many images are directly related to oil production, but Stryker stretched the idea that oil touches daily life to include pictures of children playing, farmers in fields, cowboys, people at worship, fishermen, and an occasional kitten. Some groups were conceived as a narrative, such as Bus Story, Harbor Story, and the massive River Story.

out of stock