Harold Corsini
Encyclopedia
Harold Corsini was an American
photographer.
Harold Corsini was born to Italian immigrants in New York City
and began his career there as a freelancer. A photo he took when he was about 16, an aerial shot of football players, is archived in the George Eastman Collection in Rochester, New York
. He assisted Arnold Eagle for three years as a photography teacher for the National Youth Administration
. Corsini admired the work of Roy Stryker
's Farm Security Administration
photographers and aspired to the documentary style they practiced. He joined the Photo League in 1938, "the only free camera club in New York City", whose members were socially concerned photographers.
After a stint with Life magazine, in 1943 Corsini joined the Standard Oil
documentary project under Roy Stryker
, where he worked longer than any other photographer. In 1950, he accompanied Stryker to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and assisted him as head of the photographic department at the Pittsburgh Photographic Library
. There he chronicled the city's first Renaissance, which included redevelopment of the Point
and construction of Gateway Center
. He remained in Pittsburgh when the PPL disbanded to begin his own commercial photography business. Eventually became the official photographer for U.S. Steel
.
Corsini retired when he sold his studio in 1975, then joined the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University
where he taught for nine years.
His photographic work is held, in addition to the Pittsburgh Photographic Library, by the University of Louisville
Photographic Archives, the George Eastman House
Photo Collection, and the Carnegie Museum of Art
. The University of Pittsburgh
houses the Harold Corsini archives.
He died on New Years Day 2008, aged 88, following a stroke. He was survived by his wife, two children, and a brother.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer.
Harold Corsini was born to Italian immigrants in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and began his career there as a freelancer. A photo he took when he was about 16, an aerial shot of football players, is archived in the George Eastman Collection in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. He assisted Arnold Eagle for three years as a photography teacher for the National Youth Administration
National Youth Administration
The National Youth Administration was a New Deal agency in the United States that focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 24. It operated from 1935 to 1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration . Following the passage of the Reorganization Act of...
. Corsini admired the work of Roy Stryker
Roy Stryker
Roy Emerson Stryker was an American economist, government official, and photographer. He is most famous for heading the Information Division of the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression and launching the documentary photography movement of the FSA.After serving in the infantry...
's Farm Security Administration
Farm Security Administration
Initially created as the Resettlement Administration in 1935 as part of the New Deal in the United States, the Farm Security Administration was an effort during the Depression to combat American rural poverty...
photographers and aspired to the documentary style they practiced. He joined the Photo League in 1938, "the only free camera club in New York City", whose members were socially concerned photographers.
After a stint with Life magazine, in 1943 Corsini joined the Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
documentary project under Roy Stryker
Roy Stryker
Roy Emerson Stryker was an American economist, government official, and photographer. He is most famous for heading the Information Division of the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression and launching the documentary photography movement of the FSA.After serving in the infantry...
, where he worked longer than any other photographer. In 1950, he accompanied Stryker to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and assisted him as head of the photographic department at the Pittsburgh Photographic Library
Pittsburgh Photographic Library
The Pittsburgh Photographic Library is a photography repository held by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh of over 50,000 prints and negatives relating to history of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
. There he chronicled the city's first Renaissance, which included redevelopment of the Point
Point State Park
Point State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River....
and construction of Gateway Center
Gateway Center (Pittsburgh)
The Gateway Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a high-rise building complex with of office space in four buildings. Gateway Center was purchased in 2004 by Hertz Investment Group, a Los Angeles, California based real estate investment company, for US$55 million...
. He remained in Pittsburgh when the PPL disbanded to begin his own commercial photography business. Eventually became the official photographer for U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
.
Corsini retired when he sold his studio in 1975, then joined the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
where he taught for nine years.
His photographic work is held, in addition to the Pittsburgh Photographic Library, by the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
Photographic Archives, the George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
Photo Collection, and the Carnegie Museum of Art
Carnegie Museum of Art
The Carnegie Museum of Art, located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an art museum founded in 1895 by the Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie...
. The University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
houses the Harold Corsini archives.
He died on New Years Day 2008, aged 88, following a stroke. He was survived by his wife, two children, and a brother.
Books
- Carnegie Mellon: A Portrait, photographs (Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University, 1986).