Russell Lee American, 1903-1986 Born in Ottawa, Illinois, Russell Lee was known for his documentary images of America during the Great Depression. After graduating from Lehigh University with a degree in chemical engineering (1925) and working as an engineer for several years, Lee became interested in painting and studied at the California School of Fine Arts (1929-31) and under John Sloan at the Art Students League (1931-35). Self-taught in photography, he bought a camera to assist him in his work. In 1935 he decided to pursue photography full-time, and the following year was hired by Roy Stryker to work for the Farm Security Administration. During his years with the fsa, Lee traveled throughout the country photographing the effects of the depression on rural and small-town America. He also was sent by the Office of War Information to Chicago in 1941 to document the plight of poor urban blacks for Richard Wright's book, Twelve Million Black Voices. During World War II he continued to photograph for the government, first for the Office of War Information, then as a reconnaissance photographer for the Air Transport Command. After the war, Lee worked on a government survey of coal miners and mining conditions before becoming associated with Stryker once more, this time on the Standard Oil of New Jersey project. During the 1950s he worked as an industrial photographer for various clients, including Standard Oil, Aramco, and Dow Chemical. He and his wife, Jean Smith, also became involved with the University of Missouri's annual Photo-Workshops (1942-62). In 1965 Lee joined the faculty of the University of Texas, Austin, as a professor of photography, teaching there until his retirement in 1973. Lee's work was included in Evocative Presence: Twentieth Century Photographs from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1988. He has also been the subject of a number of monographs, including Russell Lee: Photographer (1978). M.M.