Todd Webb

Todd Webb (1905–2000) was an American photographer whose quietly observant work captured the spirit of mid‑20th‑century life in both urban and natural landscapes. Born in Detroit, he began his career as a stockbroker in the Roaring ’20s, only to lose his savings in the 1929 crash. Seeking adventure, he spent the 1930s prospecting for gold across the American West—a period during which he discovered photography and fell under its spell.

In 1938 Webb joined the Chrysler Camera Club in Detroit and befriended photographer Harry Callahan, later attending an Ansel Adams workshop that reinforced his embrace of “straight” photography. After World War II, he moved to New York City, where meetings with Alfred Stieglitz and Roy Stryker helped shape his documentary style. Webb traveled extensively—shooting Parisian street scenes for Renault, exploring France’s towns and countryside, and traversing America’s highways with his wife.

A close friend of Georgia O’Keeffe, Webb settled in New Mexico after Stieglitz’s death to be near her, producing a series of intimate portraits and New Mexico landscapes that reflect their deep bond. His body of work—characterized by meticulous composition, soft tonalities, and a profound empathy for his subjects—has been exhibited worldwide and appears in major public collections. Through numerous monographs and exhibitions, Todd Webb’s photographs continue to offer a timeless window into the people, places, and everyday moments of the 20th century.