Country Doctor

© W. Eugene Smith | Magnum Photos

Currently not on view

Country Doctor,

1948, printed ca. 1955

W. Eugene Smith, 1918–1978; born Wichita, KS; died Tucson, AZ; active New York, NY and Tucson
2019-260
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More Context

This is the title image for one of Smith’s landmark <em>Life</em> magazine photo-essays, “Country Doctor,” which follows Ernest Guy Ceriani, a general practitioner in Kremmling, Colorado, as he performs surgeries and makes house calls. While most of the photographs show Ceriani with his patients, here he is portrayed alone. By focusing on a young physician who turned his back on city medicine, <em>Life</em> endorsed the redistribution of doctors to rural areas. Published in the September 20, 1948, issue, the essay addresses the challenges of medical care in remote communities, while implicitly criticizing compulsory health insurance—then promoted by President Harry Truman in his reelection campaign as part of a “Fair Deal” social-benefits package.

Information

Title
Country Doctor
Dates

1948, printed ca. 1955

Maker
W. Eugene Smith
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
50.2 × 60.3 cm (19 3/4 × 23 3/4 in.) frame: 61.6 × 72.1 × 3.8 cm (24 1/4 × 28 3/8 × 1 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund
Object Number
2019-260
Materials
gelatin silver process
Subject
photojournalism

[Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York, NY]; purchased by the Princeton University Art Museum, 2019.

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