W. Eugene Smith: Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath (Japan 1971)
Eugene Smith Tomoko Uemura was an America photojournalist who saught to capture a sense of empathy in societal issues. Smith’s photograph “In Her Bath” is one of his most well known images. The sick person in the bath has Minamata disease, a neurological syndrome caused by mercury poisoning in the wastewater in Japan. From 1932-1968, the disease claimed thousands of lives. The government and Chisso Corporation chemical factory did little to prevent this pollution. For years, Smith and his interpreter rented houses belonging to one of the victims, photographing the effects of the pollution. These photographs brought a personal awareness to those unaffected. It is harder to brush off empathy when seeing consequences happening to real people, as apposed to hearing numbers. A month after this photograph was taken, Smith was at a demonstration at the Chisso plant, where he was attacked and permanently injured. This made him a familiar face on the news, bringing attention to his photographs. These photographs ultimately forced the government to take action.
S.Za. “Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath.” Iconic Photos, 22 Jan. 2017, iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/tomoko-uemura-in-her-bath/.
This is a good summary of the events and Smith’s role in bringing about change as well as his subsequent injuries.