Alvin Langdon Coburn (June 11, 1882 – November 23, 1966) was an early 20th century photographer who became a key figure in the development of American pictorialism. He became the first major photographer to emphasize the visual potential of elevated viewpoints and later made some of the first completely abstract photographs.
Coburn’s prints at the Royal Photographic Society attracted the attention of another important photographer, Frederick H. Evans . Evans was one of the founders of the Linked Ring, an association of artistic photographers which was considered at that time to be the highest authority for photographic aesthetics. In the summer of 1900 Coburn was invited to exhibit with them, which elevated him to the ranks of some of the most elite photographers of the day.
In 1901 Coburn lived in Paris for a few months so he could study with photographer Edward Steichen and Robert Demachy . He and his mother then toured France, Switzerland and Germany for the remainder of the year. Read full wikipedia article.
