Julius Shulman
Probably no other photographer had as much an impact on presenting — even selling — Mid-Century Modern architecture than did Julius Shulman, who died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 98.
Among the many photographs taken by Shulman were projects by the likes of Richard Neutra, Rudolf M. Schindler, Charles Eames, Albert Frey, Pierre Koenig, Eero Saarinen, A. Quincy Jones, John Lautner and Frank Lloyd Wright.
Although the majority of his work was in B&W, Shulman’s mastery of light, shadows and contrasts invoked a sense of color in his images, many of which showcased the post-war, modern designs emerging throughout Southern California (especially in Los Angeles and Palm Springs — including the famed Kaufmann House). His perception of angles and scene setting often added a softer human side to the starkness present in MCM designs.
Shulman’s most famous photo was that of Pierre Koenig’s, glass-walled, “Case Study House No. 22,” (aka, The Stahl House), perched atop the Hollywood Hills overlooking the city lights of Los Angeles. Probably no single image captured the optimistic spirit of the “good life” as promised by America’s sleek future as did this one photograph.
2025 UPDATE: One of the best-known images that Julius Shulman took in Riverside is of the original Marcy Branch Library when it was located at 3711 Central Avenue (see below). Shulman’s photo captures the essence of the circular, Mid Century Modern library designed by Riverside architectural firm of Herman Ruhnau.
Related
- Los Angeles Times – Julius Shulman dies at 98; celebrated photographer of Modernist architecture | Photo Gallery
- J Paul Getty Museum – Julius Shulman: Modernity and the Metropolis
- The Getty Center – Los Angeles
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- RaincrossSquare.com — Relocation of Marcy Branch likely (May 2008)
Sources: Los Angeles Times (LAT-20090717), The Getty Museum, Ruhnau Clarke Architects, Riverside Public Library
2025 PAGE UPDATE: Updated photos; added photo of Julius Shulman; added Julius Shulman photo of Riverside’s Marcy Library.
