MIKE DISFARMER (1884-1959)

Mike Disfarmer was a vernacular American commercial portrait photographer who worked in rural Herber, Arkansas from the 1920s-1950s. His work was later discovered in the 1970's.
This grouping of Herber Springs portraits shown here was taken from 1939 to 1946 and depicts local residents of the town. Disfarmer was known to be eccentric and often told his subjects not to smile, resulting in a sober documentation of the local individuals and families that comprised this small town of middle America in the first part of the twentieth century. The photographs featured here are vintage gelatin prints from Disfarmer's studio.

His work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York, The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA., The J.P Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA., The San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA, amongst others.

Plates are as follows:

1. Little Girl in a White Pinafore c. 1940-1945
2. Pete Stark c. 1940-1945
3. Seated Red Head c. 1945
4. Wilsea Jean, 3 years, 11 months, 3 days old, c. 1950
5. Clara c. 1950
6. Mr. Kendell and Elmer, c. 1942
7. Curry, Willard, Theo Verser, c. 1940-45
8. Seated woman