Eugene V. Harris

Born: 1913, 8 February - US, ND, Kenmare
Died: 1978, 15 May - US, IL, Chicago
Gender: Male
Active: Peru
 
He grew up in Minnesota and received a Bachelor of Education degree in 1937 from the State Teachers' College in Moorhead, MN. He joined the Foreign Services in 1944 and became the Asst. Agricultural Attache in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1948. He traveled extensively taking thousands of photographs along the way. He left Foreign Service in 1953 to become a full-time photographer.
 
In 1954-1955 he took the famous photograph of the "Peruvian Boy with Flute" that would become one of the best known images of the "The Family of Man" exhibition as it was reproduced on the cover of of MoMA's book and widely published elsewhere.
 
From 1954-1964 he was Chief Geography Photographer for the Silver Burdett Publishing Company. On this assignment, he accompanied textbook author Dr. Clarence W. Sorensen and photographed worldwide with many of his images included in Dr. Sorensen's textbooks. Eugene was preparing to retire to his ranch in Argentina when he died of a heart attack in Chicago on May 15, 1978. He was 65 years old. (pers. email. Susan Peschel, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries, 6 March 2014)

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An extensive body of his work is included in the American Geographical Society Library (AGSL) collection at the University of Wisconsin. Milwaukee.

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Common biographical error: It is often stated Eurgene V. Harris died with Werner Bischof in a car accident in Peru on 16th May 1954 but this is incorrect. According to the mining company's report of 25th May 1954 the people in the car were Ali de Szepessy-Schaurek, Luis Delgado and A. W. Bischof. (pers. email, Paul Stachelek, 1 February 2014)