Mary Ellen Mark
Photographs of Mother Teresa's Missions of Charity in Calcutta
Introduction by David Featherstone
The Friends of Photography (Untitled 39), 1985, 48 pages
ISBN 0-933286-43-0
In 1979, Life magazine sent Mary Ellen Mark to India to photograph the Missions of Charity after Mother Teresa had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Mark, however, wanted to do a more complete study and so returned to India in 1981 for an additional two months.
Mark wanted to publish her Calcutta photos as a book, but no publisher was interested. Finally the Friends of Photography took an interest in her work, organizing an exhibit of her Calcutta photos and publishing them as the 39th edition of their Untitled series.
These powerful photos will reach deep inside you and give your soul a wrench. Many of them depict extreme levels of human suffering, yet they are also photographs of hope, as all of the people here are being cared for.
David Featherstone's Introduction covers Mark's career as a photojournalist, and includes interesting insights about her Calcutta project. For example, when she returned to India in 1981, she spent her first few days working as a volunteer in the Missions, gaining rapport with the staff which made it much easier to photograph their activities later on.
Recommended.