WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Russell Lee

Russell Lee

Russell Lee

1903–1986

WA-00044982

PhotographyPhotography

Representation

None documented

13

Institutional Exhibitions

7

Works in Collection

48

Assets Indexed

4

Authority-backed Facts

0

Publications Referenced

90%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (2)

WikidataQ514628

Selected Institutional Exhibitions

View all exhibitions →

No image

Reinstallation of the Collection

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1980

No image

Edward Steichen Photography Center Reinstallation

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1979

No image

Public Landscapes

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1974

No image

The Photographer's Eye

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1964

No image

Edward Steichen Photography Center

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1964

No image

The Bitter Years: 1935�1941

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1962

No image

Photographs from the Museum Collection

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1958–1959

No image

The Family of Man

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1955

No image

Color Photography

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1950

No image

The Exact Instant

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1949

No image

50 Photographs by 50 Photographers

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1948

No image

Road to Victory

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1942

Field Verification (4 fields)

2 cross-verified · 2 single-source

Birth yearDuplicate Merge· 85%✓
Death yearDuplicate Merge· 85%✓
LocationArtsy· 85%
NationalityArtsy· 85%

Source Registry (1)

MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/3455
Tier 1 · Institutional92%

About

Why this artist matters now

Russell Werner Lee was an American photographer and photojournalist, best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression. His images documented the ethnography of various American classes and cultures. Lee was known for his technical innovation, particularly his use of direct flash photography to capture indoor environments that other photographers of the era avoided.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 29d ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

Photography

Medium

Photography

Related Artists

12 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Art Institute of Chicago

Canonical record

Artworks (7)

Baytown Refinery at Humble Oil & Refining Company, Baytown, Texas

Baytown Refinery at Humble Oil & Refining Company, Baytown, Texas

1945 · Gelatin silver print

Image/paper: 34 × 26.3 cm (13 7/16 × 10 3/8 in.); Mount: 45.7 × 35.5 cm (18 × 14 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Filling Station and Market, Tulare County, California

1942 · gelatin silver print

Image: 7.3 x 10 cm (2 7/8 x 3 15/16 in.); Paper: 10 x 12.6 cm (3 15/16 x 4 15/16 in.); Matted: 25.4 x 30.6 cm (10 x 12 1/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Mission Beach Dance Hall, Amusement Center, San Diego, California

1941 · gelatin silver print

Image: 18.2 x 24.3 cm (7 3/16 x 9 9/16 in.); Paper: 20.6 x 25.5 cm (8 1/8 x 10 1/16 in.); Matted: 35.6 x 45.7 cm (14 x 18 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

[African American Mother and Child on Bed in their Cabin near Jefferson, Texas]

1939 · Gelatin silver print

18.2 x 24.3 cm (7 3/16 x 9 9/16 in. )

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

[Cotton Pickers with Knee Pads, Lehi, Arkansas]

1938 · Gelatin silver print

16.5 x 24.2 cm (6 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. )

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Corner of Edwin Gorder’s Farmhouse Williams County, North Dakota

Corner of Edwin Gorder’s Farmhouse Williams County, North Dakota

1937 · Gelatin silver print

Image: 16.5 × 23.4 cm (6 1/2 × 9 1/4 in.); Paper: 20.4 × 25.2 cm (8 1/16 × 9 15/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Pre-fabricated Housing

1936 · gelatin silver print

Image: 16.2 x 24.1 cm (6 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.); Paper: 16.9 x 25.4 cm (6 5/8 x 10 in.); Matted: 35.6 x 45.7 cm (14 x 18 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Artwork sources (4)

7 published of 38 catalogued · 17 with image

Cleveland Museum of Art
3 published
The Met
2 published
Art Institute Chicago
2 published2 img
+ 1 more source · 31 catalogued, not yet published

Record

Images

Artsy artist portrait

Artsy

Relationships

2

Movements1

Collections1

Art Institute of Chicago

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago