Currently not on view
Country Doctor,
1948, printed ca. 1955
More Context
Special Exhibition
This is the title image for one of Smith’s landmark <em>Life</em> magazine photo-essays, “Country Doctor,” which follows Ernest Guy Ceriani, a general practitioner in Kremmling, Colorado, as he performs surgeries and makes house calls. While most of the photographs show Ceriani with his patients, here he is portrayed alone. By focusing on a young physician who turned his back on city medicine, <em>Life</em> endorsed the redistribution of doctors to rural areas. Published in the September 20, 1948, issue, the essay addresses the challenges of medical care in remote communities, while implicitly criticizing compulsory health insurance—then promoted by President Harry Truman in his reelection campaign as part of a “Fair Deal” social-benefits package.
Information
1948, printed ca. 1955
Share your feedback with us
The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.
Related Objects
untitled (New York)
,
ca. 1955
Leon Levinstein
1997-601
Untitled (Kelp)
,
1974
Brett Weston
x1974-138
Prestige cloth (kpokpo or kpoikpoi)
,
before 1933
Mende
2019-25
Iron Chairs B
,
1978
Christopher P. James
x1982-375
