Shenango Ingot Molds, Tremblath #2, from the series "Working People"
<p>Milton Rogovin was a lifelong champion of working people. “The rich have their photographers,” he said. “I photograph the forgotten ones.” He produced his Working People series for about a decade beginning in 1977, traveling to mines, factories, and foundries across the United States, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Rogovin depicted each laborer in at least two settings, including on the job and at home. These two sympathetic portraits portray a man named Tremblath at work—seated in a dignified pose at the Shenango Ingot Molds Company in Pennsylvania—and relaxing in his backyard with his pregnant wife and pet rabbit.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1978
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 18 × 17.5 cm (7 1/8 × 6 15/16 in.); Paper: 25.2 × 20.2 cm (9 15/16 × 8 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Milton Rogovin
Artist
Photography
Milton Rogovin was an American photographer known for sustained documentary work among working-class and marginalized communities from the 1940s onward. His photographs of coal miners in Appalachia, steelworkers in Pennsylvania, and residents of Buffalo's East Side combined unflinching social observation with formal clarity and deep respect for his subjects. Working primarily in black and white, Rogovin created extended series that functioned as visual archives of labor and everyday life in postwar industrial America. His approach to portraiture rejected sentimentality in favor of direct engagement and prolonged presence within communities.
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Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Milton Rogovin
- Year
- 1978
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 18 × 17.5 cm (7 1/8 × 6 15/16 in.); Paper: 25.2 × 20.2 cm (9 15/16 × 8 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1978-093055
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified