William Eggleston

A quintessentially American photographer, William Joseph Eggleston, Jr. was born in 1939 in Memphis, TN. His straight-forward depictions of everyday objects and scenes were noted for their vivid colors, precise composition, and evocative allure. His work was credited with helping establish color photography in the late 20th century as a legitimate artistic medium. After settling in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1964, Eggleston began to experiment with color photography.  Over the next decade, he produced thousands of photographs, focusing on ordinary Americans and the landscapes, structures, and other materials of their environs. Because of the geographic milieu in which Eggleston often worked, his photographs were sometimes characterized as reflections on the South, though he pointedly resisted such interpretations, claiming an interest in his subjects chiefly for their physical and formal qualities rather than for any broader significance.