SEPTEMBER 20, 1925

LAGUNA PUEBLO PHOTOGRAPHER LEE H. MARMON BORN

Marmon, born in Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico (NM), began studying geology at the University of NM in 1942 but, by 1943, was in the Army stationed in the Aleutians. He took up photography in the Army. In 1946, his father urged him to take photos of the elders before they’re gone. Marmon’s legacy–portraits of his people and homelands–used existing light relying on the pueblo walls as a light source. A member of the community, he could shoot dances that non-Native people could not see. From 1966 to 1982, Lee lived in southern California where he was the official photographer for the Bob Hope Desert Classic Golf Tournament (1967-73) and did assignments for Time magazine and the Saturday Evening Post. In 1972, Lee was commissioned by the President & Mrs. Nixon for a White House photo collection of NM tribal pottery. Marmon returned to Laguna Pueblo in 1982. In 2006, Lee received a Lifetime Achievement Award, Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. He died on March 31, 2021.  

Sources:

Alexandra N. Harris, “Memories of Lee Marmon: A Lifetime of Photographic Storytelling in New Mexico,” NMAI Magazine, Summer 2021, Vol. 22, Number 2.  Retrieved 11/14/2023, Memories of Lee Marmon: A Lifetime of Photographic Storytelling in New Mexico | NMAI Magazine (americanindianmagazine.org)

Wikipedia

Photo:  Tomcorbett, 6/18/2006. Photographer Lee Marmon stands next to an enlarged version of his most well-known image, "White Man's Moccasins" (1954) at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico (February 2006). Permissive Use.