Alvin Langdon Coburn (1882 - 1966)

Alvin Langdon Coburn

Alvin Langdon Coburn was an American photographer and artist who was best known for his pioneering work in the field of pictorial photography. He was a member of the Photo-Secession movement, which was a group of photographers who sought to elevate photography to the status of fine art.

Coburn was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in England. He began taking photographs when he was just eight years old and later studied photography in New York City. He went on to become one of the leading photographers of his time, and his work was exhibited widely in Europe and the United States.

Coburn is perhaps best known for his innovative use of the "vortograph," a technique he developed in 1917 that involved photographing objects through a triangular arrangement of mirrors. The resulting images were highly abstract and geometric, and anticipated the work of many later artists, including the Surrealists.

In addition to his work in photography, Coburn was also an accomplished painter and printmaker. He continued to work as an artist throughout his life, and his work is now held in the collections of many major museums around the world.