“He’s a great reminder, that photography is not a contest.… It’s about being a witness to your times.” —Rich Remsberg
In late 1999, an archivist at Indiana University made an extraordinary discovery. Among items marked for disposal were dusty suitcases filled with thousands of stunning color slides, some dating back nearly seven decades. These 14,500 images were the life’s work of Charles W. Cushman, an Indiana University alumnus and photographer, who had left the collection to the university after his death in 1972.
Born in the small town of Poseyville, Indiana, in 1896, Cushman never worked as a professional photographer, aside from a brief stint at the Indiana Daily Student newspaper (where he photographed exclusively in black and white). He spent much of his professional life working as a financial analyst, but in his spare time, photographed prolifically, capturing his surroundings in color.
In 1936, Kodak revolutionized photography with the introduction of Kodachrome, a color-reversal film that produced highly detailed, vibrant images. While many serious photographers of the time dismissed color as ostentatious and inauthentic, believing it hindered the medium’s recognition as a true art form, Cushman, like a select group of his more iconic contemporaries, saw the potential of color and embraced it.
He took his first color image—a red Ford coupe with the silhouette of his wife Jean in the passenger seat, the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance—just two years after Kodachrome’s invention in 1938. For the next three decades, he harnessed its chromatic beauty to capture his surroundings with a Contax IIA 35mm camera. His images document everyday scenes, whether in Chicago, where he lived for many years, in San Francisco where he later relocated, or during his extensive travels across the U.S. and abroad.
At first glance, Cushman’s subject matter remains consistent, but upon closer inspection, the details within the images reveal subtle shifts—buildings largely stay the same, but the cars, billboards, and people’s attire evolve, illustrating the modernization of mid-20th century America. These images stand as important touchstones, made more valuable by the detailed captions he meticulously recorded.
Yet, Cushman’s images might reveal more than just historical details. Though seemingly vernacular, they lack the emotional distance often found in such works, where subjects are transformed into formal compositions. Instead, Cushman’s work feels deeply personal, as though he was searching for truth and beauty, finding moments of grace amid the ordinary
Photography may have also been a form of therapy for Cushman. His marriage to Jean was tumultuous; after her father died in 1943 she suffered a breakdown during which she shot Charles and attempted to take her own life. Husband and wife both survived and remained married until her death, but their relationship was fraught with unhappiness.
Perhaps photography offered Cushman a momentary escape from the pain. Yet we will never truly know. He remains an enigmatic figure, who could never have forseen the impact his work would have.
All images © Charles W. Cushman
The Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection is held at the University of Indiana. More information here.