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Artists›Russell Lee

Russell Lee

Russell Lee

1903–1986

PhotographyPhotography

Representation

None documented

13

Institutional Exhibitions

7

Works in Collection

48

Assets Indexed

4

Authority-backed Facts

0

Publications Referenced

90%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Movements

• Photography

Related Artists

No edges recorded

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Selected Institutional Exhibitions

View all exhibitions →

No image

Reinstallation of the Collection

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1980

No image

Edward Steichen Photography Center Reinstallation

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1979

No image

Public Landscapes

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1974

No image

The Photographer's Eye

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1964

No image

Edward Steichen Photography Center

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1964

About

Why this artist matters now

Russell Werner Lee was an American photographer and photojournalist, best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression. His images documented the ethnography of various American classes and cultures. Lee was known for his technical innovation, particularly his use of direct flash photography to capture indoor environments that other photographers of the era avoided.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 26d ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

Photography

Medium

Photography

Related Artists

12 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Art Institute of Chicago

Canonical record

Artworks (7)

Baytown Refinery at Humble Oil & Refining Company, Baytown, Texas

Baytown Refinery at Humble Oil & Refining Company, Baytown, Texas

1945 · Gelatin silver print

Image/paper: 34 × 26.3 cm (13 7/16 × 10 3/8 in.); Mount: 45.7 × 35.5 cm (18 × 14 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Filling Station and Market, Tulare County, California

1942 · gelatin silver print

Image: 7.3 x 10 cm (2 7/8 x 3 15/16 in.); Paper: 10 x 12.6 cm (3 15/16 x 4 15/16 in.); Matted: 25.4 x 30.6 cm (10 x 12 1/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Mission Beach Dance Hall, Amusement Center, San Diego, California

1941 · gelatin silver print

Image: 18.2 x 24.3 cm (7 3/16 x 9 9/16 in.); Paper: 20.6 x 25.5 cm (8 1/8 x 10 1/16 in.); Matted: 35.6 x 45.7 cm (14 x 18 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

[African American Mother and Child on Bed in their Cabin near Jefferson, Texas]

1939 · Gelatin silver print

18.2 x 24.3 cm (7 3/16 x 9 9/16 in. )

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

[Cotton Pickers with Knee Pads, Lehi, Arkansas]

1938 · Gelatin silver print

16.5 x 24.2 cm (6 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. )

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Corner of Edwin Gorder’s Farmhouse Williams County, North Dakota

Corner of Edwin Gorder’s Farmhouse Williams County, North Dakota

1937 · Gelatin silver print

Image: 16.5 × 23.4 cm (6 1/2 × 9 1/4 in.); Paper: 20.4 × 25.2 cm (8 1/16 × 9 15/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Pre-fabricated Housing

1936 · gelatin silver print

Image: 16.2 x 24.1 cm (6 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.); Paper: 16.9 x 25.4 cm (6 5/8 x 10 in.); Matted: 35.6 x 45.7 cm (14 x 18 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Record

Images

Artsy artist portrait

Artsy

Related artists

Adjacent in the graph

Shared movement

Bradford Washburn

Bradford Washburn

Shared movement

Andrea Büttner

Shared movement

Sabelo Mlangeni

Sabelo Mlangeni

Shared movement

Shared movement

Shared movement

Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz

Also photography

Raymond Pettibon

Raymond Pettibon

Also photography

Also photography

Also photography

Joan Fontcuberta

Joan Fontcuberta

Also photography

Also photography

Record

Movements and affiliations

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago