Santa Fe Living Treasures – Elder Stories

As historian, curator, writer, teacher, and photographer, Beaumont went on to articulate the value of photography as a fine art. Largely through his critical appreciation of photography, the medium gained acceptance as an art form. He was to author some six hundred books, articles, and museum catalogs, many in collaboration with his wife, Nancy. His classic History of Photography, 1839 to the Present remains the most widely-used text in its field.

During World War II, Beaumont worked in photo-reconnaissance in Egypt, Italy, and North Africa, then went on to become curator of Kodak's photography museum, George Eastman House, in Rochester, New York. In addition to curating numerous shows for the museum in Rochester, Beaumont assured his reputation as a fine cook with a weekly newspaper column, the "Epicure Corner," for seven years; and by cooking lunch for noted chef James Beard. (He served choucroute garni and Beard took three helpings.)

Please see Volume 1 for complete text.
Photo ©1997 by Joanne Rijmes