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Britannica Hong Kong > Encyclopedia Categories > Art > Coburn, Alvin Langdon

Coburn, Alvin Langdon

(born June 11, 1882, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died Nov. 23, 1966, Rhos-on-Sea, Denbighshire, Wales) U.S.-born British photographer. He did not take up photography seriously until he met Edward Steichen in 1899. In 1902 he opened a studio in New York City and joined the Photo-Secession. In 1904 he went to London with a commission to photograph celebrities; his memorable portraits include those of Auguste Rodin, Henry James, and George Bernard Shaw, the latter posing as Rodin's The Thinker. In 1917, influenced by Cubism and Futurism, he produced the first photographs depicting abstract compositions.

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