Mount Fuji, by Horace Bristol.

Funny ol’ world sometimes. So there I was this morning, looking at the below mentioned ‘yakuza’ images slideshow ( 2 posts down) made by Guardian Online, and in there I found a nice image by Horace Bristol, and which I ‘borrowed’ to illustrate my blog piece. I’d never heard of Horace, but I liked his image.

And then I went out this morning for a meeting at the Correspondents Club, and over lunch, my good friend Torin mentioned the name of Horace Bristol. I nearly choked on my salmon and cream cheese bagel, with gherkins and tomatos on the side. Torin knew a little of the history of Horace Bristol, who apparently used to live down by the coast near Tokyo and worked as a photographer for Life Magazine.

So, I’ve just had a look on the internet and come across a treasure trove of images by Mr. Bristol. (He was Horace earlier, but now I feel i have to show more respect, so now it’s Mr. Bristol). I hadn’t known that Horace Bristol had been one of the Farm Security Administration photographers, or that he was the person to convince John Steinbeck that there was a ‘Grapes of Wrath’ project to be photographed and written about.

Anyway, here are some links (here, here, and here) which will tell you more of the life and history of Mr. Bristol, and show you more of his incredible images. And just as an aside- the image below I remember seeing on a National Geographic televison programme years ago, I’ve never forgotten it, but also never knew who it was by, until now.

Shinto Shrine melee, New Year’s Day, 1946 by Horace Bristol. Courtesy of Frank Pictures Gallery.

Horace Bristol died in 1997, aged 89.

It’s great to discover incredible photos/photographers that you weren’t aware of.