Simpson Kalisher, an American photographer born in the Bronx in 1926, passed away on June 13 in Delray Beach, Florida, at the age of 96. Renowned for his street photography capturing the essence of urban American life in the 1950s and ’60s, Kalisher’s work stood out for its social empathy and imagination.
A member of the generation of dynamic New York street photographers from the 1920s, Kalisher, alongside figures like Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, and Garry Winogrand, contributed to the visual narrative of the time. Lucy Sante, in the foreword to Kalisher’s book “The Alienated Photographer” (2011), hailed him as a guiding figure through a rapidly changing era, capturing both the strict yet richer past and glimpses of the anarchic future.
Kalisher’s street-focused photography, described as “atmospheric urban noir,” showcased scenes from everyday life—a pugnacious child outside a church, a driver sticking his tongue out, or a fed-up man pushing his stalled car.
His work found a place in significant exhibitions, including the Museum of Modern Art’s “Family of Man” (1955) and “Mirrors and Windows: American Photography Since 1960” (1978). Noteworthy among his books by him is “Railroad Men: A Book of Photographs and Collected Stories” (1961), which provided gritty portraits of the unsung workers maintaining train tracks during the decline of train travel.
Kalisher, who also ventured into commercial projects, published “Propaganda and Other Photographs” (1976), exploring the neutral aspects of the term and his attempt to illustrate propaganda in everyday life.
Described as a “brutal parodist of pictorial stereotypes” by art historian Ian Jeffrey, Kalisher managed to establish a distinct voice in the photography scene. Sarah Meister, executive director of Aperture, noted his remarkable ability to maintain an individual voice amid commercial projects that were often perceived as limiting a photographer’s creative independence.
Born to Polish immigrants, Kalisher served in the Army after being drafted in 1944 and later completed his education at Queens College. His early photographs of him were published in The New York Times in 1947, and he initially pursued commercial photography, contributing to corporate annual reports and magazines.
Survived by his daughter and two sons, Kalisher’s legacy extends beyond his prolific career. In his reflections on photography, he pondered the line between capturing images and creating art in a world saturated with photographs, emphasizing the challenges and nuances of the medium.