Half a century ago, one year after a vicious attack by the House of Un-American Activities Committee had devastated his optometry practice and silenced his voice, Milton Rogovin picked up a camera for the first time. He was 48 years old. “My voice was essentially silenced,” says Rogovin," So I decided to speak out through photograghs."
Miton Rogovin (born in 1909) is one of the nation’s most accomplished social documentary photographers, although until now he has remained virtually unknown outside of his hometown of Buffalo, New York.
He began shooting photographs of storefront African American churches with the help his wife, Anne Rogovin. He continued to shoot working people in Buffalo and around the world with his wife’s financial support. In 1972, he shot his most significant work ,just a few blocks away from his optometric office. They consisted of portraits of the Lower West Side, one of Buffalo’s poorest communities.
At the age of 83, after overcoming heart surgery and prostate cancer he continued to shoot the streets of the Lower West Side. In 1997, Rogovin developed cataracts in both eyes. In 1999, he restored his eyesight through surgery and continued to take pictures. (Democracy Now)
