George William Adam Rodger (19 March 1908 – 24 July 1995[1]) was a British photojournalist noted for his work in Africa and for photographing the mass deaths at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the end of the Second World War.[2]
One of Rodger's photographs taken after the liberation of Bergen-Belsen in 1945.
Born in Hale, Cheshire, of Scottish and German descent, Rodger went to school at St. Bees School in Cumberland. He joined the British Merchant Navy and sailed around the world. While sailing, Rodger wrote accounts of his travels and taught himself photography to illustrate his travelogues. He was unable to get his travel writing published; after a short spell in the United States, where he failed to find work during the Depression, Rodger returned to Britain in 1936. In London, he found work as a photographer for the BBC's The Listener magazine. In 1938 he had a brief stint working for the Black Star Agency.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Rodger had a strong urge to chronicle the war. His photographs of the Blitz gained him a job as a war correspondent for Life magazine, based in the United States. Rodger covered the war in West Africa extensively and, towards the end of the war, followed the Allies' liberation of France, Belgium and Netherlands. He also covered the retreat of the British forces in Burma. He was probably the only British war reporter/photographer allowed to write a story on the Burma Road by travelling on it into China, with special permission from the Chinese military.[citation needed]
Rodger was one of many photographers to enter the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen in 1945, the first being members of the British Army Film and Photographic Unit. His photographs of the survivors and piles of corpses were published in Life and Time magazines and were highly influential in showing the reality of the death camps. Rodger later recalled how, after spending several hours at the camp, he was appalled to realise that he had spent most of the time looking for graphically pleasing compositions of the piles of bodies lying among the trees and buildings. This traumatic experience led Rodger to conclude that he could not work as a war correspondent again. Leaving Life, he travelled throughout Africa and the Middle East, continuing to document these areas' wildlife and peoples.
Founding member of Magnum Photos and work in Africa
In 1947, Rodger became a founding member of Magnum Photos. Over the next thirty years, he worked as a freelance photographer, taking on many expeditions and assignments to photograph the people, landscape and nature of African nations. Much of Rodger's photojournalism in Africa was published in National Geographic as well as other magazines and newspapers.
His photographs made in 1948 and 1949 of indigenous people of the Nuba mountains, in the Sudanese province of Kordofan, and the Latuka and other tribes of southern Sudan, have been called "some of the most historically important and influential images taken in sub-Saharan Africa during the twentieth century".[3] As Rodger wrote several years later, "When we came to leave the Nuba Jebels (mountains), we took with us only memories of a people ... so much more hospitable, chivalrous and gracious than many of us who live in the 'Dark Continents' outside Africa."[4] In 1951, Rodger published his photo essay on the Nuba and Latuka also in National Geographic.[5] - In the 1960s, his pictures prompted controversial German photographer and filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl to travel to the Nuba mountains for her own photo stories on the Nuba people.[6]
Rodger's first wife, Cicely, who travelled extensively with him in Africa, died during childbirth in 1949. In 1952, he married his American assistant Lois "Jinx" Witherspoon and the pair had two sons, one of whom, Peter, became a filmmaker in Britain. He was the grandfather of Elliot Rodger, who committed the 2014 Isla Vista killings in California, United States, where he killed six people and injured fourteen others before committing suicide.[8]
^Alan Riding (26 July 1995). "George Rodger Is Dead at 87; A Pioneering Photojournalist". The New York Times.
^Celinscak, Mark (2015). Distance from the Belsen Heap: Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Concentration Camp. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN9781442615700.
^"George Rodger. Nuba & Latuka. The colour photographs". Magnum photos. 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Schuman, Aaron (5 June 2017). "'Lost' early color photographs of Sudanese tribes published". CNN. Retrieved 23 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^National Geographic (28 November 2014). "Wrestling keeps 'identity of the Nuba' alive in Sudanese refugee camps". National Geographic News. Retrieved 23 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Holocaust education & archive research team (2010). "Leni Riefenstahl". Holocaust research project. Retrieved 11 December 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Akbar, Arifa (4 January 2008). "The golden age of photojournalism is recalled in George Rodger exhibition". The Independent. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
^Sherwell, Philip (24 May 2014). "California drive-by shooting: 'Son of Hunger Games assistant director' Elliot Rodger suspected of killing six". The Telegraph. from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Rodger.
(in French) Sample
Brunei Gallery, Samples of Rodger's African photographs
george, rodger, george, william, adam, rodger, march, 1908, july, 1995, british, photojournalist, noted, work, africa, photographing, mass, deaths, bergen, belsen, concentration, camp, second, world, born, 1908, march, 1908hale, cheshire, englanddied24, july, . George William Adam Rodger 19 March 1908 24 July 1995 1 was a British photojournalist noted for his work in Africa and for photographing the mass deaths at Bergen Belsen concentration camp at the end of the Second World War 2 George RodgerBorn 1908 03 19 19 March 1908Hale Cheshire EnglandDied24 July 1995 1995 07 24 aged 87 Ashford Kent EnglandOther namesGeorge William A RodgerOccupationPhotographerSpouse s Cicely Rodger died 1949 Lois Witherspoon m 1952 wbr Children3 including Peter RodgerRelativesElliot Rodger grandson Contents 1 Life and career 2 Founding member of Magnum Photos and work in Africa 2 1 Marriage family 3 Publications 4 References 5 External linksLife and career Edit One of Rodger s photographs taken after the liberation of Bergen Belsen in 1945 Born in Hale Cheshire of Scottish and German descent Rodger went to school at St Bees School in Cumberland He joined the British Merchant Navy and sailed around the world While sailing Rodger wrote accounts of his travels and taught himself photography to illustrate his travelogues He was unable to get his travel writing published after a short spell in the United States where he failed to find work during the Depression Rodger returned to Britain in 1936 In London he found work as a photographer for the BBC s The Listener magazine In 1938 he had a brief stint working for the Black Star Agency With the outbreak of the Second World War Rodger had a strong urge to chronicle the war His photographs of the Blitz gained him a job as a war correspondent for Life magazine based in the United States Rodger covered the war in West Africa extensively and towards the end of the war followed the Allies liberation of France Belgium and Netherlands He also covered the retreat of the British forces in Burma He was probably the only British war reporter photographer allowed to write a story on the Burma Road by travelling on it into China with special permission from the Chinese military citation needed Rodger was one of many photographers to enter the concentration camp at Bergen Belsen in 1945 the first being members of the British Army Film and Photographic Unit His photographs of the survivors and piles of corpses were published in Life and Time magazines and were highly influential in showing the reality of the death camps Rodger later recalled how after spending several hours at the camp he was appalled to realise that he had spent most of the time looking for graphically pleasing compositions of the piles of bodies lying among the trees and buildings This traumatic experience led Rodger to conclude that he could not work as a war correspondent again Leaving Life he travelled throughout Africa and the Middle East continuing to document these areas wildlife and peoples Cameroon ca 1950 French Equatorial Africa ca 1950 Flevoland ca 1950 Flevoland ca 1950Founding member of Magnum Photos and work in Africa EditIn 1947 Rodger became a founding member of Magnum Photos Over the next thirty years he worked as a freelance photographer taking on many expeditions and assignments to photograph the people landscape and nature of African nations Much of Rodger s photojournalism in Africa was published in National Geographic as well as other magazines and newspapers His photographs made in 1948 and 1949 of indigenous people of the Nuba mountains in the Sudanese province of Kordofan and the Latuka and other tribes of southern Sudan have been called some of the most historically important and influential images taken in sub Saharan Africa during the twentieth century 3 As Rodger wrote several years later When we came to leave the Nuba Jebels mountains we took with us only memories of a people so much more hospitable chivalrous and gracious than many of us who live in the Dark Continents outside Africa 4 In 1951 Rodger published his photo essay on the Nuba and Latuka also in National Geographic 5 In the 1960s his pictures prompted controversial German photographer and filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl to travel to the Nuba mountains for her own photo stories on the Nuba people 6 A retrospective exhibition of Rodger s work was held at Imperial War Museum North in 2008 7 Marriage family Edit Rodger s first wife Cicely who travelled extensively with him in Africa died during childbirth in 1949 In 1952 he married his American assistant Lois Jinx Witherspoon and the pair had two sons one of whom Peter became a filmmaker in Britain He was the grandfather of Elliot Rodger who committed the 2014 Isla Vista killings in California United States where he killed six people and injured fourteen others before committing suicide 8 Publications EditRed Moon Rising Cresset Press 1943 Desert Journey Cresset 1944 Village des Noubas 1955 Le Sahara 1957 George Rodger Humanity and Inhumanity 1994 Nuba and Latuka The Colour Photographs Prestel Munich Germany 2017 ISBN 978 3 7913 8322 4 Southern Sudan Stanley Barker 2018 References Edit Alan Riding 26 July 1995 George Rodger Is Dead at 87 A Pioneering Photojournalist The New York Times Celinscak Mark 2015 Distance from the Belsen Heap Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Concentration Camp Toronto University of Toronto Press ISBN 9781442615700 George Rodger Nuba amp Latuka The colour photographs Magnum photos 2017 Retrieved 23 May 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Schuman Aaron 5 June 2017 Lost early color photographs of Sudanese tribes published CNN Retrieved 23 May 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link National Geographic 28 November 2014 Wrestling keeps identity of the Nuba alive in Sudanese refugee camps National Geographic News Retrieved 23 May 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Holocaust education amp archive research team 2010 Leni Riefenstahl Holocaust research project Retrieved 11 December 2019 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Akbar Arifa 4 January 2008 The golden age of photojournalism is recalled in George Rodger exhibition The Independent Retrieved 9 March 2013 Sherwell Philip 24 May 2014 California drive by shooting Son of Hunger Games assistant director Elliot Rodger suspected of killing six The Telegraph Archived from the original on 25 May 2014 Retrieved 2 July 2014 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Rodger Magnum biography in French Sample portfolio of Rodger s WWII photographs Brunei Gallery Samples of Rodger s African photographs The Nuba Mountains Homepage George Rodger photographs at International Center of Photography Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title George Rodger amp oldid 1153336284, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
