Joni Haller Whitewash and Blacklist: The Effect of International Style Politics on Julius Shulman's Career At the height of Julius Shulman's career Elizabeth Gordon, editor of the popular magazine House Beautiful, would not publish his photographs nor hire him for new assignments. She told Shulman his photographs were "too cold" for American taste. This reaction to Shulman's work was certainly anomalous, for at this time he was in great demand, accepting numerous assignments from both trade journals and popular magazines including House Beautiful's direct competitor, House & Garden. Gordon's dislike of Shulman's work was, in fact, an aversion to the type of architecture for which he was known to photograph, namely, Modern architecture based on the International Style. In a 1953 article titled "The Threat to the Next America" Gordon revealed a curious socio-political source of her distaste for this architectural type. She claimed that practitioners of the International Style aimed to persuade the public to accept a decreased quality of life--void of possessions and comfort--that would ultimately leave them vulnerable to dictatorial control. Although Gordon's slippery-slope argument seems comical today, it indicates the extent to which cold-war hysteria permeated popular consciousness during the postwar period. Her argument also signifies, although in an extreme manner, the general apprehension with which Modern domestic dwellings were regarded and the challenge Shulman faced in presenting them as desirable, livable spaces. This essay examines the importance of photography in shaping the perception of the International Style, how this architecture became entangled in various political agendas, and the significant role these factors played throughout Shulman's career.

Abstracts: John McIntyre | Lisa A. Goodgame | Giselle Arteaga - Johnson | Oriel Lucero | Joni Haller | Order the Catalogue Home | Introduction | Julius Shulman | Director's Message | Image Collection | Abstracts | Related Areas | Credits |