Early life of margaret bourke white

Margaret Bourke-White (14 June, 1904 – 27 August, 1971) was an American documentary photographer known as the first western photographer of Soviet industry and the first female photojournalist for Life magazine.

Early life

Margaret White was born 14 June, 1904^[1] in the Bronx, New York^[2] to Joseph White, and Minnie Bourke. She grew up in Bound Brook, New Jersey, where she attended Plainfield High School.

Her father was fascinated by cameras and encouraged Margaret's early interest in photography. She attended Columbia University, where she initially studied herpetology but later left the school.

Early life of margaret bourke white famous pictures

She tried several other schools and eventually graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1927 she added her mother's name and began going by the hyphenated name Margaret Bourke-White. In 1928 she moved to Cleveland, Ohio and started a commercial photography business, specializing in architectural and industrial pho