Shirley Carter Burden (December 9, 1908 â€" June 3, 1989) was a
prominent American photographer, author of picture essays on racism,
Catholicism, and history of place. He served on advisory committees of
museums, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California, and
was the Photography Committee chairman at the Museum of Modern Art in
New York, and of Aperture, which named the Burden Gallery (New York)
in his honour.Burden was born on December 9, 1908, in New York City,
the youngest son of William Armistead Moale Burden and Florence
Vanderbilt (née Twombly) Burden. He was the brother of Ambassador
William Armistead Moale Burden II. His maternal grandparents were
Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly (1854â€"1952) and Hamilton McKown
Twombly (1849-1910), and he was a great-great-grandson of Cornelius
Vanderbilt.He was at the Browning School in New York City until 1926,
but did not go on to college or university education.Beginning in
1924, Burden assisted at Pathé News. In 1926, he and his cousin
filmed an Ontario Indian tribe for their The Silent Enemy, and from
1927 held a minor position at Paramount Studios. A 1929 meeting with
Edward Steichen inspired his interest in photography and later gained
his mentorship. He sought better motion picture prospects in
California and Hollywood and from 1929 to 1934 used his contact Merian
C. Cooper to gain associate producer work, most significantly at RKO
on Academy Award nominated "She".
prominent American photographer, author of picture essays on racism,
Catholicism, and history of place. He served on advisory committees of
museums, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California, and
was the Photography Committee chairman at the Museum of Modern Art in
New York, and of Aperture, which named the Burden Gallery (New York)
in his honour.Burden was born on December 9, 1908, in New York City,
the youngest son of William Armistead Moale Burden and Florence
Vanderbilt (née Twombly) Burden. He was the brother of Ambassador
William Armistead Moale Burden II. His maternal grandparents were
Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly (1854â€"1952) and Hamilton McKown
Twombly (1849-1910), and he was a great-great-grandson of Cornelius
Vanderbilt.He was at the Browning School in New York City until 1926,
but did not go on to college or university education.Beginning in
1924, Burden assisted at Pathé News. In 1926, he and his cousin
filmed an Ontario Indian tribe for their The Silent Enemy, and from
1927 held a minor position at Paramount Studios. A 1929 meeting with
Edward Steichen inspired his interest in photography and later gained
his mentorship. He sought better motion picture prospects in
California and Hollywood and from 1929 to 1934 used his contact Merian
C. Cooper to gain associate producer work, most significantly at RKO
on Academy Award nominated "She".
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