Assignment 2: Biography of Therese Bonney

                                                                

Therese Bonney

Therese Bonney was an American photojournalist who was most famous for images she captured during and after the Russian invasion of Finland in World War II. Bonney also was known for photographs depicting the effects of war on civilians, particularly children. She is recognized as an influential photojournalist who used the power of the media to bring about humanitarian changes that she felt was needed.

Mabel Therese Bonney was born in Syracuse, New York on July 15, 1894. Her family moved to California when she was 3, where she lived until receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkley. She earned her master’s degree from Radcliff College in Cambridge, Massachusetts the following year before moving to Paris. She earned a scholarship to attend the Sorbonne, becoming the first American to receive the award.. She received her docteur-des-lettres degree in 1921, becoming the youngest person at the time to do so. After graduating, Bonney received several prestigious scholarships and grants to study Germany’s contributions to the history of photography. (www.britannica.com/ebchecked/topic/73205/therese-bonney)

During this time, Bonney was motivated by a desire to promote cultural exchange between France and the United States. In 1919, while studying at Sorbonne, Bonney established the American Red Cross Correspondence Exchange to foster communication between children of the two countries.

Starting around 1925, Bonney was documenting the French decorative arts through photography. Bonney did not take the photographs herself, instead gathering them from other photographers, photo agencies, architects, and designers. In the early ‘30s, she established the first American illustrated press service, known as the Bonney Service, which supplied photographs to newspapers in 33 countries. She began pursuing her own career as a photographer at this time, and her own photographs were often included in her service.

In 1938, Bonney published a behind-the-scenes series of photographs of the Vatican for Life magazine, and the photographs were republished in a book the following year. This marked her first success as a photojournalist and helped establish her as a known photographer.

Bonney then travelled to Finland to document preparation of the 1940 Winter Olympics. While she was in the country, the Russian invasion began, making Bonney the only photojournalist in the country for most of the conflict. For her bravery displayed during combat, Bonney was awarded the Order of the White Rose of Finland medal.

Image from Bonney's "The Vatican"

After leaving Finland, she returned to France and began working with the American Red Cross. When war broke out in the country, she assisted with the evacuation of refugees until she was forced to leave as well. In June 1940, Bonney was appointed as an official photographer of the French army and was given full privileges in the war zone. She was the only foreign journalist to witness the Battle of the Meuse, which she documented extensively.

Woman with child in Finland, approx 1940. Photographer: Thérèse Bonney. 

She returned to the United States and arranged her photographs for a Library of Congress exhibition entitled “To Whom the Wars are Done.” These photographs depicted the effects of wars on ordinary people, specifically children, women and the elderly. Her photographs were widely recognized for their value as primary historical documents, and were so powerful that Bonney received a grant from the Carnegie Corporation to return to Europe and document the effects of the war on civilian populations. She returned to Europe in February 1941 and began recording the events once again. (http://web.sbu.edu/friedsam/archives/biographies/theresebonney/bonneybio.htm)

Bonney photographed the plight of innocents across Europe, from Spain and Portugal to the unoccupied French territory. Her efforts to raise awareness of the effect of war on children earned Bonney recognition from the French Ministry of War. She collected some of her most famous images during this time, which would appear in her groundbreaking book, “Europe’s Children.”

The photographs were shocking to many people who had never imagined how wars could affect so many people in vastly different ways.  “Europe’s Children” showed how photojournalists can use the power of the camera to convey a message and even bring about change. Bonney blurred the line between journalist and activist, and described her assignments as “truth raids.” She once said “I go forth alone, try to get the truth and then bring it back and try to make others face it and do something about it.” (www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0007.html)

Image from Bonney's book "Europe's Children" which showcases the effects of war on innocent victims.

“Europe’s Children” was a self-published work, a move necessitated after the book was turned down by several publishers. Bonney was not content having her work published in mainstream newspapers and magazines, which led her to hold one-woman shows at the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art, and many other museums.  Her concept for a film about children displaced by war was made into an Academy-award winning movie “The Search.” Bonney was also the heroine of a wartime propaganda comic book entitled “Photo-Fighter.”

Image from "Photo-Fighter" featuring Bonney.

Therese Bonney’s contributions to photography and photojournalism cannot be overstated. Without Bonney, photographs that are considered historical documentation would not exist. Images of the Russian invasion of Finland as well as several key battles are only here today because of Bonney. Also, the photo-sharing service she created was the first of its kind and was the forbearer of many media sharing services that still exist to this day.

She also recognized the power of media and photography to bring about change in the hearts and minds of the civilian population. By displaying her images of war’s effects on ordinary people, she struck a chord with those who realized the people in her photos could just as easily be them. She personalized the conflict in a way that had not before been done, and helped people understand how tragic war really is. Bonney should be remembered for her contributions to the worlds of photography, photojournalism and humanitarianism.