ABSTRACT
By 1951, when the Photo League was eradicated by McCarthyism, it had already moved some distance away from the socially conscious impulse of its genesis, towards an emphasis on art photography. Moreover, its goal and mood were consistent with the postwar optimism of other Americans, and specifically its ambitions were encouraged by others, more prominent than itself, who also cared about the future of American photography and who felt that the Photo League would contribute substantially to that future. The Photo League’s origin in 1936 was generated by radical politics, and its initial energies were fueled by a desire for social change and the belief that photography could affect social change. The Photo League was unquestionably a vital place, a photographic crossroads. It featured lectures, films and photographs central to American photography.
