Jill Krementz
Encyclopedia
Jill Krementz is a photographer and author
. She has published some 31 books, mostly of photography and children's books.
Krementz grew up in Morristown, New Jersey
, and moved to New York City
in her late teens. In the 1960s she worked as a photographer for the New York Herald-Tribune. She spent a year taking photographs in Vietnam
during the Vietnam War
.
Krementz later specialized in the photographing of writers. A major profile of her - written by Dorothy Gelatt - was published in the Spring 1975 issue of 35mm Photography (Ziff-Davis Publishing Company). According to the article, Krementz decided in 1970 to "...fill the author picture vacuum...". Working only with the aid of a secretary she built and ran a large library of photographs of authors. Most of her photographs at that time were made in black and white and she is described as working with a minimum of photographic equipment (two 35mm camera bodies and three lenses) and having her prints made by Erika Leone at the Meridian photographic laboratory. At the time the article was written, "...the Krementz stock list of authors totalled roughly 542...".
Her photographs were shown at the Nikon House gallery in New York the mid-1970s, and in 1980 her book The Writer's Image (David R. Godine, Boston) was published. The book contained solely black-and-white photographs, with a preface written by Kurt Vonnegut, and an introduction by Trudy Butner Krisher.
She is the widow of author Kurt Vonnegut
and has one daughter, Lily. In 2004, a major exhibition of her work was held at the Mark Twain
House and Museum in Hartford
, Connecticut
. Writers Unbound featured warm, intimate portraits of authors in their homes and at their desks.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. She has published some 31 books, mostly of photography and children's books.
Krementz grew up in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
, and moved to 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...
in her late teens. In the 1960s she worked as a photographer for the New York Herald-Tribune. She spent a year taking photographs in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Krementz later specialized in the photographing of writers. A major profile of her - written by Dorothy Gelatt - was published in the Spring 1975 issue of 35mm Photography (Ziff-Davis Publishing Company). According to the article, Krementz decided in 1970 to "...fill the author picture vacuum...". Working only with the aid of a secretary she built and ran a large library of photographs of authors. Most of her photographs at that time were made in black and white and she is described as working with a minimum of photographic equipment (two 35mm camera bodies and three lenses) and having her prints made by Erika Leone at the Meridian photographic laboratory. At the time the article was written, "...the Krementz stock list of authors totalled roughly 542...".
Her photographs were shown at the Nikon House gallery in New York the mid-1970s, and in 1980 her book The Writer's Image (David R. Godine, Boston) was published. The book contained solely black-and-white photographs, with a preface written by Kurt Vonnegut, and an introduction by Trudy Butner Krisher.
She is the widow of author Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
and has one daughter, Lily. In 2004, a major exhibition of her work was held at the Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
House and Museum in Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Writers Unbound featured warm, intimate portraits of authors in their homes and at their desks.
External links
- Lunch with Jill Krementz
- Writers Unbound exhibition
- Booknotes interview (transcript); C-SPAN, June 1, 1997
- "Storybook Ballerina’s True-Life Adventure," New York Times, November 17, 2011