Travel Photography through Doris Baker's Lens
Doris Baker, Thailand, 1965 / Doris Baker Papers, Mss. Acc. 2012.115
Photographs are able to capture experiences in a unique way, bringing distant places and people to life for the viewer. When Doris Baker took a teaching position in an American school in Germany in 1950, she began to travel frequently. She was fascinated by the cultures of other countries, and the photographs she took during her excursions bring to light the lives of those she encountered. As a freelance photographer, she accepted jobs that would whisk her away to new places, giving her opportunities to access sites most American tourists could not. Although travel was getting easier overall, it was still uncommon for women to travel by themselves. Yet Doris enjoyed her travels immensely, whether she went with a tour group, with a few companions, or on her own. While she documented many interesting sites, the most captivating aspect of her photographs is her emphasis on people. Wherever she visited, she sought interactions with locals, and wanted to participate in their cultures and learn from them. Instead of searching for hints of her own culture abroad, she focused on what was new and different to her; instead of judgment, she sought understanding. And with this sense of curiosity and open-mindedness she was able to capture the lives of the people she encountered in a meaningful way.
Images of the exhibit are available from Swem Library on Flickr.
Curator: Katherine Thurlow, History Graduate Student Apprentice. Exhibit design: Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Specialist; with assistance from Carleigh Branch, Undergraduate Student Assistant; Andrew Cavell, SCRC Graphics Assistant; and Anna Wallace, Undergraduate Student Assistant.