All About Eve: The Storied Career of Eve Arnold

One of the most important photojournalists of the twentieth century, Eve Arnold had a prolific career with work that spanned politics, social issues, and a bit of glamour. Born in Philadelphia in 1912, Arnold’s journey from a self-taught amateur to a celebrated professional photographer is not just a testament to her talent but also to her relentless pursuit of truth and humanity through the lens.

Arnold’s career began in the 1940s when she picked up a camera on a whim during a trip to Canada. Little did she know that this serendipitous moment would set her on a path to become one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. Initially drawn to street photography, Arnold had an uncanny ability to capture the essence of everyday life, particularly of marginalised communities.

It was her groundbreaking work with Marilyn Monroe that truly catapulted Arnold into the spotlight. As the only female photographer present during the filming of ‘The Misfits’ in 1960, Arnold forged a unique bond with Monroe, capturing intimate moments that revealed the vulnerability behind the glamorous facade. Her portraits of Monroe remain some of the most iconic images ever taken of the legendary actress. Marlene Dietrich, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor are some other celebrities to have graced Arnold’s lens, alongside many high profile members of the British Establishment such as Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher.

But Arnold’s lens didn’t just focus on Hollywood stars. She had an unparalleled knack for telling the stories of ordinary people, often from marginalised communities. From the civil rights movement in the United States to women training to be horse riders in the national militia of Inner Mongolia, Arnold’s photographs served as a powerful tool for social change, shining a light on issues that were often ignored by the mainstream media.

After her initial photography assignment in Harlem during the 1950s, Arnold was keen to follow the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement that gained momentum in the mid-1960s. This movement aimed to challenge the racist notion that natural attributes of black individuals, such as skin tone, facial features, and hair texture, were inferior. It advocated for embracing African-identified traits rather than attempting to alter or suppress them, promoting both physical and psychological well-being within the black community. Arnold captured key figures of the movement including Cicely Tyson, Arlene Hawkins, and the influential soul singer James Brown, who all played significant roles in promoting pride in black culture.

In 1960, LIFE magazine commissioned Eve Arnold to photograph Malcolm X, the controversial, charismatic public face of the Nation of Islam. Her images captured Malcolm X not just as a public figure, but as a man of depth and complexity, revealing the nuances of his personality. She presented him as an individual fighting for justice, which she achieved by approaching the assignment with a keen sense of empathy and respect. Having spent a year accompanying the Nation of Islam, Arnold produced an invaluable body of work that illustrates a turbulent time in American race politics. She painted a vivid picture of the vitality and dynamism of The Black Muslims; a burgeoning force within America that ran parallel with the growing Civil Rights movement. Her photograph of leaders of the American Nazi party attending a Black Muslim rally in 1961 documents a remarkable moment in history where the two parties were united in their belief that America should be racially segregated.

In the late 60s, Arnold travelled through Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, photographing women of various social classes and nomadic tribes, in gender-segregated classrooms, and at weddings and bazaars. The series also led to her being commissioned by the BBC to make her first film project, titled ‘Behind the Veil’, which she shot inside a harem in Dubai. Travelling on to Cuba, China and Mongolia in her later years, Arnold produced a series around young women training to be horse riders in the national militia.

What set Arnold apart was not just her technical skill but her empathy and compassion for her subjects. In a career that spanned five decades, Arnold captured the beauty and complexity of the human experience with unparalleled grace and sensitivity. Her legacy lives on, not only in her iconic images but also in the way she challenged conventions and pushed boundaries, paving the way for future generations of photographers to continue in her footsteps.