Fred W. McDarrah
Frederick William McDarrah (November 5, 1926 – November 6, 2007) was an American staff photographer for The Village Voice and an author. He is best known for documenting the cultural phenomenon known as the Beat Generation from its inception in the 1950s. In his book The Artist's World in Pictures, co-authored with Thomas B. Hess, McDarrah documented the New York art world, the New York School and the world of Abstract expressionism in New York City during the late 1950s.
Also recorded as Frederick William McDarrah · Fred McDarrah
Fred W. McDarrah
- Name
- Fred W.
- Born
- 5 November 1926
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
- Died
- 6 November 2007
- Place of death
- Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, U.S.
- Occupation
- Photographer, photojournalist
- Known for
- Celebrity photography
- Nationality
- United States
- Honours
- Guggenheim Fellowship
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Frederick William McDarrah (November 5, 1926 – November 6, 2007) was an American staff photographer for The Village Voice and an author. He is best known for documenting the cultural phenomenon known as the Beat Generation from its inception in the 1950s. In his book The Artist's World in Pictures, co-authored with Thomas B. Hess, McDarrah documented the New York art world, the New York School and the world of Abstract expressionism in New York City during the late 1950s.
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wikidata · Q5496473 · wikipedia · Fred W. McDarrah
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Fred W. McDarrah • Born — 5 November 1926 • Birthplace — Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. • Died — 6 November 2007 • Place of death — Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, U.S. • Occupation — Photographer, photojournalist • Known for — Celebrity photography • Notable Works — Beat Generation • Children — 2, including Timothy McDarrah
Biography
Biography
Born in Brooklyn of Catholic and Protestant descent, he said his father "did nothing, never worked, a manic depressive who used to sit by the window and just stare out. We used to live on Home Relief. My brother David and I went begging for food." He bought his first camera at the 1939 World's Fair for 39 cents, but he did not start taking photographs as a vocation until he was a paratrooper in occupied Japan following World War II. He was one of the first to photograph Bob Dylan. He photographed people at the time of the Stonewall riots; those pictures were among those gathered in the book Gay Pride (1994), one of over a dozen books including his photographs.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
• 2015. "Fred W. McDarrah: The Artists's World". Solo at Steven Kasher Gallery. New York City • 2018. "Fred W. McDarrah: New York Scenes." Solo at Steven Kasher Gallery.
Family
Family
In 1960, he married Gloria Schoffel. They had two sons, Timothy and Patrick.
Death
Death
He died in his sleep at his home in Greenwich Village a few hours after his 81st birthday.
Book On McDarrah
Book On McDarrah
• Wilentz, Sean Fred W. McDarrah: New York Scenes, Abrams Books, 2018
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1926
Fred W. McDarrah born at Brooklyn.
2007
Fred W. McDarrah died at Greenwich Village.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Brooklyn.
Birth place
Greenwich Village.
Death place
Books by McDarrah
• McDarrah, Fred W. The Beat Scene. Corinth Books, 1960 • McDarrah, Fred W., and Gloria S. McDarrah. The Artist's World in Pictures. New York: Dutton, 1961 • McDarrah, Fred W., and McDarrah, Timothy S. Museums In New York. New York: A Frommer Book, 1983 • McDarrah, Fred W., and Patrick J. McDarrah. The Greenwich Village Guide: Sixteen Historic Walks, Includes Soho, Tribeca, and the East Village: Antique Shops, Bookstores, Theatres, Clubs, Restaurants, Art Galleries and More. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review, 1992 • McDarrah, Fred W., Timothy S. McDarrah, and Robert Taylor. Gay Pride: Photographs from Stonewall to Today. Chicago, IL: Cappella, 1994 • McDarrah, Fred W., and Gloria S. McDarrah. Beat Generation: Glory Days in Greenwich Village. New York: Schirmer, 1996 • MacDarrah, Fred W., and Timothy S. MacDarrah. Kerouac and Friends: A Beat Generation Album. New York: Thunder's Mouth, 2002 • McDarrah, Fred W., Gloria S. McDarrah, and Timothy S. McDarrah. Anarchy, Protest & Rebellion: And the Counterculture That Changed America. New York: Thunder's Mouth, 2003 • McDarrah, Fred W. Artists and Writers of the 60s and 70s: An Exhibition of Vintage Prints at Steven Kasher Gallery, November 9, 2006 – January 6, 2007. New York, NY: Steven Kasher Gallery, 2006
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Davison, Phil. Fred W. Mcdarrah: 'Village Voice' photographer. The Independent. 2007-11-17.
- 2.Steven Kasher. Fred W. McDarrah: The Artists's World.
- 3.Village Voice. Runnin' Scared: Fred W. McDarrah, 1926-2007.
- 4.Margalit Fox. Fred W. McDarrah, Photographer, Dies at 81. New York Times. 8 November 2007.
- 5.Carol Peachee in The New York Journal of Books. New York Journal of Books. 2018-09-25.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the headings Frederick William McDarrah and Fred McDarrah. His recorded language was English. One child is recorded: Timothy McDarrah. McDarrah received Guggenheim Fellowship. The identifiers under which Fred W. McDarrah may be traced in institutional catalogues.
Identity and origins
Recognition and collections
Work by Fred W. McDarrah is
Museum of Modern Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Studio Museum in Harlem and J. Paul Getty Museum
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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