Marion Carpenter

Marion A. Carpenter (March 6, 1920 – October 29, 2002), was the first woman national press photographer to cover Washington, D.C. and the White House, and to travel with a US President. In 1951, Carpenter returned to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she worked as a nurse to support her mother and son. While she did some photography, by her death at age 82, she was little known in the national memory. Since her death, there has been recognition of Carpenter as a pioneer.

Family and early career Carpenter was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Lillian B. Marion of Minnesota and Harry Carpenter of Avery County, North Carolina. Her father Harry Carpenter moved from North Carolina to work as a laborer in Minnesota, where he met Lillian. They married and settled in St. Paul. As a girl, Marion Carpenter went to local schools and at first planned to be a nurse. Carpenter worked as a nurse from 1942 to 1944. In her off-duty hours from study and work, she had joined the St. Paul Camera Club, where she learned the basics of photography. She became interested in news photography.

Photography career In 1944, Carpenter moved to Washington D.C., where she started working for the Washington Times-Herald. She next joined the International News Photo (INP) syndicate as a special assignment photographer. In addition to her INP work, she did freelance portraits of senators and representatives. Described as "an athletic brunette", she was herself sometimes the subject of photos.

Her work with the INP syndicate was a factor in winning a highly coveted White House job in 1945, She was the only woman press photographer to travel with President Truman on a daily basis. 1949 Christmas Card created by Marion Carpenter for President Truman. Carpenter was informally called "the Camera Girl" and "the Photographer Girl" in Washington circles.

Marriage and family Some have speculated that Marion may have had an affair during her time in Washington. When this affair was exposed, she lost her White House job. They moved to Denver, Colorado where she gave birth to her only child, Mjohn R. Anderson. But this marriage also had problems. By late 1951, when Carpenter was 31, her second marriage and her press photographer career had both ended.

Later life Carpenter's later life is not well known. She died at home, nearly destitute, and alone except for her Rottweiler. The closest of what were casual friends recalled that she had a son and led an effort to find him.

Legacy "She sounds like the type of woman upon whose shoulders we all stand," noted Susy Shultz, president of the Journalism and Women Symposium, when commenting on Marion Carpenter's death. It was not until 1962, when President John F. Kennedy objected to the ban against women members at the annual WHCA dinner, that they were allowed. Helen Thomas was the first woman WHCA member to attend.

Several of Carpenter's cameras auctioned with her estate are considered historic items. Another camera was the Rolleicord III, produced in late 1949 by the Rollei-Werke Franke and Heidecke Corporation. She also had the Iloca Rapid B, a German rangefinder camera from the 1950s.

1946 WHNPA pictures Ms. Carpenter's entries in the 1946 White House News Press Association contest included the following: