David Butow: 250 Years USA. A Country in Contradiction

 Via laif

David Butow

January 6, 2021, Washington, DC. Supporters of President Trump battle law enforcement on the West steps of The Capitol during the attack on the day of Joe Biden’s election certification by Congress.

2026 brings two dates that are hard to ignore: 250 years USA. And Donald Trump turns 80 – in the middle of his second term.

What do these anniversaries mean? What do they say about the state of this country? We asked selected photographers from our partner agency Redux.

In the second part of our series, photojournalist David Butow talks about his work and his perspective on the USA.

David, is there a photo you have taken that you feel best represents the United States — either at this moment or at another point in time?

You can’t sum up a country of 350 million people in one photograph, but I’ll choose one that speaks to our politics right now. On January 6, 2021, I was at the U.S. Capitol when a mob of thousands of Trump supporters broke through police lines and into the Capitol to try to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden as the next president. It was Americans fighting against each other over one of the most important things the government does.

And this fight was set up by the sitting president who had engaged in lies to rile up his supporters and help him stay in power. That was the first time that had happened in 250 years. I think, and hope, it will be most significant event in U.S. history that I’ll ever see. Trump left the White House couple of weeks later with his tail behind his legs but of course now he’s president again. This dynamic speaks to widespread distrust in our government and other institutions.

Given the flood of synthetic images, disinformation, and fake news across the internet, how do you view the role and importance of photojournalism and the media?

"The media" is now such a broad term. It can mean big organizations like the New York Times and CNN, or it can be one person with a YouTube channel and millions of followers. I heard a commentator say recently that when it comes to information, much of the public is both cynical and gullible at the same time. That’s a bad combination!

People not only believe stuff that’s fake, they will not believe things that are real. The hope I have is that there will always be some news organizations that will have high standards for truth, for rooting out fakery in images and information and that those standards will be known to their audience who will subscribe and support them.

In other words, that there will always be a place to turn when you need some reality. I fear that traditional, solid media outlets will continue to be a smaller and smaller portion of how people get their information. That’s already happening. However, I am buoyed by the fact that thirty years after easy desktop computer Photoshop-style image manipulation, the wire services and most big, good newspapers and magazines have maintained fairly tight ethnical standards when it comes to the making and content of images.

What do you think Americans can be proud of?

Despite all the problems facing the U.S., there are still things about this country that work very well. While there is a lot of tribal and closed-minded thinking, those ideas often get outsized attention in the current media environment. In reality, I think most Americans are quite progressive when it comes to things like gay rights, ethnic diversity, and religious freedoms. We have the Americans with Disabilities Act which helps to make public spaces easier for people in wheelchairs.

I’ll give you couple of other recent examples. There was a small group of Buddhist monks that recently did a "walk for peace" through the deep South, a Trumpy part of the country known as the »Bible Belt.« Thousands of people came out to cheer them on and they had the support of the local governments and police.

Today, I’m seeing news coverage of long lines at airports because of budget disagreements within the Federal Government. Despite our differences and political conflicts, people are calm and not getting into fights. Most Americans are pretty chill and tolerant. Also, when it comes to technological and scientific advancement, obviously, that’s one of our strengths.

What is "typically American" about you?

[…] My mother’s side of the family came to America from England in the 1700’s before there even was a U.S.A. They were Protestant Christians. My father’s parents were immigrants from Russia and Latvia in the early 20th century and they were fleeing persecutions against Jews and were part of the massive wave of immigration at that time as the U.S. was modernizing rapidly and there was economic opportunity and religious freedom. I was born in New York City, grew up in Texas and now live in California. So I feel very lucky to have all this diversity in my background and experience. -full article here

Thank you for your time, David.

David Butow's photographs are featured in the exhibition "America The Beautiful" through August 9, 2026 

Alfred Eisenstaedt is the focus of a dual exhibition in Abano Terme and Venice

 Via Finestre sull'Arte

July 13, 2026

Alfred Eisenstaedt, Ballerinas standing on a windowsill at George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet (New York City, 1937) © Alfred Eisenstaedt / The LIFE Picture Collection 

"An exhibition dedicated to one of the great figures of 20th-century photography brings together two cultural institutions in the Veneto region through a complementary exhibition that traces the life and work of Alfred Eisenstaedt (Tczew, 1898 – Oak Bluffs, 1995). Through September 20, 2026, the Villa Bassi Rathgeb Museum in Abano Terme is hosting the exhibition *Alfred Eisenstaedt: Photography Was in the Air*, while the story continues through November 22 at the Naval History Museum in Venice with a second exhibition dedicated to the photographer’s years in Europe.

The initiative, curated by Monica Poggi and produced by CAMERA – Italian Center for Photography, is organized by the Municipality of Abano Terme and D’Uva, the operator of MUNAV – the Naval History Museum of Venice. The project was conceived with the aim of fostering dialogue between institutions and the local community through the work of an artist who made a decisive contribution to defining the language of contemporary photojournalism. The exhibition’s title draws on Eisenstaedt’s own reflections on post-World War I Germany and evokes the atmosphere of transformation, cultural openness, and creative energy that shaped his formative years—an atmosphere the organizers aim to bring to life through this dual exhibition itinerary.

Considered one of the most important photographers of the 20th century, Alfred Eisenstaedt is best known for being one of the leading visual contributors to Life magazine and the creator of one of the most famous images in the history of photography, the famous “V-J Day in Times Square,” the photograph taken on August 14, 1945, during the celebrations marking the end of World War II, which captures a sailor kissing a nurse in the heart of New York."

  ---Full article with photos here

Times Journalists Subpoenaed as Trump Escalates Pressure on Media

 Via The New York Times

July 11, 2026

Times Journalists Subpoenaed as Trump Escalates Pressure on Media

The Justice Department is seeking to compel testimony from reporters who wrote about the new Air Force One. The Times called the move a “brazen act.”

“The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects,” said David McCraw, The Times’s top newsroom lawyer, in a statement on Friday evening. ---click for full article

Santa Fe named favorite American city by 'Travel + Leisure' readers for second straight year

 Via The Santa Fe New Mexican

July 7, 2026

Travel + Leisure readers have selected Santa Fe as their favorite American city for the second year in a row.

The announcement was made Tuesday morning on NBC-TV's Today show.

Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia issued a statement crediting nearly everyone for their part in keeping Santa Fe on top.

“The recognition belongs to our residents, our artists, our small businesses, our hospitality workers and everyone who helps make The City Different such a special place,” he said.

On July 2, 2026 Monroe Gallery hosted a Gallery talk with independent photojournalist Ryan Vizzions.

In September of 2016, Ryan Vizzions traveled from Atlanta, Georgia to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock NoDAPL movement. Bringing his camera with him, but not intending to be a media source, Vizzions soon found himself using social media to reach over half a billion people with his photographic documentation of events unfolding over the months. With viral reach of one photograph in particular, "Defend The Sacred", Vizzions’ photography helped bring awareness around the world to the movement.

In late 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Vizzions embarked on a long term, multi-year project traveling and photographing across the United States to create a photography book documenting all 50 states. 

In January, 2026 Vizzions documented "Operation Metro Surge" by ICE in Minneapolis involving roughly 3,000 federal agents, leading to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti. His photograph of a masked ICE agent appeared as a full-page spread in the Sunday Opinion page of the February 1, 2026 issue of The New York Times. He has contributed considerable time to photographing and archiving the street memorial of Renee Good.

July 4: America The Beautiful

 

Neil Leifer: Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, July 3, 1986

For July 4, have breakfast at Pancakes on the Plaza and visit the exhibition America The Beautiful.

America The Beautiful is an exhibition of compelling and provocative photographs illustrating America, American life, and the American people as the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday amid the erosion of civil rights, human rights, and democratic norms. Open 10-4 on July 4, admission is free.

Pancakes on the Plaza brings friends, families, and neighbors together for a morning of fantastic food, incredible entertainment, and patriotic fun in the heart of downtown Santa Fe. 

Best of all? Your breakfast makes a difference! Every ticket purchased directly supports local youth. As part of our two-year support cycle, proceeds from this year's event will fund life-changing grants for The Sky Center, Gerard's House, Communities in Schools, and the Santa Fe Symphony.

Tickets

Ella Watson, American Gothic, Washington, D.C. by Gordon Parks

Via Bowdoin College Museum of Art

June 26, 2026

In his famous photograph Ella Watson, American Gothic, Washington, D.C. (1942), Gordon Parks (1912 –2006) positioned Ella Watson, who worked as a janitor in government offices, in front of an American flag with a broom and mop in her hands. In her pose and title, she echoes Grant Wood’s 1930 painting American Gothic, an iconic image of rural American resilience, while also providing a critique of the country’s inequities.

Parks created this image while on a year-long fellowship with the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in Washington, D.C, a New Deal program originally designed to help farmers recover from Depression-era agricultural disasters. In the 1930s, the FSA began hiring photographers to record the conditions of those who lived in rural or small-town environments and illustrate the necessity of federal assistance. In addition to Parks, famous photographers like Ben Shahn, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Arthur Rothstein worked for the FSA (and their works can be found in the BCMA’s collection).

Having spent his youth in progressive Northern cities like Minneapolis and Chicago, Parks was unprepared for the challenges he faced upon his arrival in the then-racially segregated city of Washington, D.C. Parks recalled that in a single day he was “refused service at restaurants, barred from a theater, and dismissed by a department store clerk.” He later said, “I had experienced a kind of bigotry and discrimination here that I never expected to experience.”

In response, Parks decided to focus on documenting Black life in the capitol, and turned his attention to Ella Watson, who worked as a charwoman, or cleaning woman, in the FSA building. After learning about her family and her struggles, Parks decided to make Watson the subject of his first extended picture story, and for four months Watson gave the photographer access to her home and community. The resulting photographs—which show Watson not only her work as a custodian, but also at home with her family, and serving as a deaconess at her church—were a breakthrough in Parks’ career. Through Watson, Parks gained an intimate, humanist perspective on Black American life beyond the historical gleam of white Washington, D.C., one that captured both struggles and moments of joy.

Parks saw in Watson a potent critique of the country’s inequalities as well as an illustration of American fortitude. In creating the photograph, the artist said: “I felt that I must photograph this woman in a way that would make me feel or make the public feel about what Washington, D.C., was in 1942. So I put her before the American flag with a broom in one hand and a mop in another. And I said, ‘American Gothic’—that’s how I felt at the moment.” The photograph reveals Parks’ experience of coming to terms with the segregated city he once embraced as “the seat of democracy,” with all its promises and perils.

Notably, When Parks showed American Gothic to Roy Stryker, the head of the Historical Division of the FSA and Parks’ boss, he was warned that its publication could cost them their jobs. As the FSA was a government agency, the provocative image was considered too controversial. Despite being taken in 1942, the photo remained unpublished until 1948, when Parks became the first Black staff photographer at LIFE magazine.

Today, Gordon Parks’ Ella Watson, American Gothic, Washington, D.C. is one of the most iconic photographs in the history of American art and documentary photography writ large. It is currently on view in USA @ 250 at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

Anne Strachan Cross
Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow

Also on exhibit in America The Beautiful through August 9, 2026

The Stunning Photojournalism That Made Mother Jones; includes feature by Nina Berman

 Via Mother Jones

June 25, 2026

“For decades, Mother Jones has seen photography as an essential component of its reporting,” says longtime contributing photographer Ken Light. “Photographers and their work have had and been an important voice within the magazine to reveal the truth.” The magazine’s photography has served as an uncompromising mirror to the world, evolving from the gritty black-and-white traditions of humanist documentary into an expansive, multiplatform chronicle of our time.

Across five distinct eras, this retrospective highlights a small fraction of great work from that 50-year journey. While the magazine’s editors could never have known at the time what a decade would bring, trends about each time period emerged when recently going through back issues. --Full article here

Nina Berman, “Returning From Iraq, the Damage Done,” March 2004

As the first waves of soldiers returned from Afghanistan and Iraq, frequent contributor Berman turned her camera on the complicated ways in which these veterans processed being back home. One of her subjects, 22-year-old Luis Calderon, was a former Army tank operator who was destroying a mural of Saddam Hussein when part of the wall crashed down, breaking his neck and paralyzing him. (Redux)

New Georgia O'Keeffe Documentary

 

Via WNYC

Photo by Tony Vaccaro: American painter Georgia O'Keeffe is standing outside her art studio holing her pelvis series color painting.

150th Anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Ryan Vizzions:  Sitting Bull Healing ride, from Poplar, MT to Fort Buford, ND, 2026

Via Native News Online

On June 25, 26, and 27, 2026, the National Park Service, in partnership with Tribal Nations, descendants, historians, elected officials, authors, military representatives, and cultural organizations, will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The observance will provide opportunities for reflection, education, and cultural exchange.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, fought on June 25–26, 1876, in what is now southeastern Montana, was a major conflict between the combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th U.S. Cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The battle took place during rising tensions over U.S. efforts to force Native nations onto reservations following the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, a region sacred to the Lakota.

Custer divided his regiment and launched an attack on a large encampment of Native families and warriors along the Little Bighorn River, but his forces were overwhelmed and defeated in what became one of the most well-known Indigenous military victories in North American history. The engagement resulted in the deaths of Custer and many of his men, and it remains a defining and heavily studied moment in U.S. and Native American history, symbolizing both Indigenous resistance and the escalating conflict over land, sovereignty, and U.S. expansion.

Event Details

Ryan Vizzions:  Sitting Bull healing ride, Montana, 2026

Related:

Gallery Photography Ryan Vizzions is covering the over 300 mile Sitting Bull Healing ride, from Poplar, MT to Fort Buford, ND for the 150th anniversary of Little Bighorn. Vizzions will present an Artist talk on Thursday, July 2 "From Standing Rock To Minneapolis" in association with the current exhibition "America The Beautiful". 

RSVP/Register here