Half Past Autumn - Gordon Parks Part 1 & 2

PART 1

1. On the day Gordon Parks was born, how did the doctor save Gordon's life?

Gordon Parks was saved by being dumped into a bucket of ice water.

2. Where was Gordon born? (what state?)

He was born in Kansas.

3. What did Gordon's college adviser, Ms. McClintock tell him about college?

Ms. Mclintock said that African Americans were not college material.

4. How old was Gordon when his mother died?

He was 15 when his mother died.

5. Where did Gordon move after his mother died?

Gordon moved to St. Paul, Minnesota.

6. Did Gordon graduate from college?

Yes; Gordon graduated from college at Princeton. 

7. How did Gordon begin his fashion photography career?

Gordon asked models if he could take pictures of them.

8. What is a "double exposure?"

Double exposure is the repeated exposure of a photographic plate or film to light, often 

producing ghost images.

9. Who was boxer Joe Louis?

Joe Louis was one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.  His wife encouraged Parks to move to Chicago and shoot there.

10. What instrument did Gordon play?

Gordon played the piano.

11. What was the purpose of the Farm Security Administration?

The purpose was to show America the conditions of the Great Depression.

12. When Roy Stryker hired Gordon for the FSA, what was Stryker's first assignment for 

Gordon in Washington, D.C.?

He had to go to a store to buy a suit, eat at a nearby restaurant, and go to a movie theater.

13. Who was Ella Watson?
Ella Watson was the woman standing in front of the American flag holding a broom and a 

mop.

14. What was the inspiration for Grant Wood's American Gothic?

The inspiration came from the feelings of racial segregation and discrimination he saw throughout his life. 

15. What did Gordon learn from Stryker about photography?

Gordon learned that the camera can be a weapon to combat injustices in the civil rights system. He also learned how much emotion a photograph is capable of capturing.

PART 2

16. When did the FSA shut down?

The FSA shut down in 1943.

17. After Gordon moved to New York, which magazine did he shoot for?

He shot for Vogue.

18. Who was the picture editor of Life Magazine when Gordon walked into the Life Magazine office?

Wilson Hicks

19. What was the first major story Parks covered for Life Magazine? 

Parks' first major story was about crime about a Harlem Gang Leader, Red Jackson.

20. Who were some of the artists that Gordon Parks mentioned influenced his work after he moved to the Paris Life Magazine bureau? 

Degas, Picasso, Van Gogh, Chagall

21. How did Parks shoot fashion when he lived in France?

He would let the model move, and he will move with the model at a slow speed.  He also took chances.

22.Where was Parks' concerto performed?

Venice

23. Who was Parks' second wife? (Who was her father? What did she do?)

Park's second wife was Elizabeth Campbell.  Her father worked for Ebony magazine, and she was a model/pursuing a model career.

24. How old was Flavio de Silva when Parks met him?

12

25. When did Parks meet Flavio?

 early 1960s in Rio de Janiero. 

26. Where did Flavio live when Parks first met Flavio and his family?

Flavio lived in a shack.

27. How is Gloria Vanderbilt? Who is her famous son? Who are her ancestors?

Gloria Vanderbilt is doing well.  Her famous son is Anderson Cooper. Her ancestors are from New York, and they were one of the richest families in New York.

28. How did Vanderbilt describe their relationship?

Vanderbilt described their relationship as a spiritual connection.