The majority of requests for our Ollie Atkins Collection are for his photographs of presidential politics, covered both as a photojournalist for the Saturday Evening Post, and later as the chief White House photographer during the Nixon administration. There is a lot more to his work, however, than just his coverage of Washington, and I am hoping to use this blog as a way to give exposure to some of his lesser seen images. To kick things off, I am starting with photographs of his trip to India in 1962.
Close-up. Oliver F. Atkins Photograph Collection. Photo © SEPS
Atkins went to India in December of 1962 with Robert Sherrod, editor of the Saturday Evening Post, for an interview with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The feature focused primarily on India’s conflicts with China and Pakistan, and their need for a modernized military. Atkins shot numerous rolls of film in New Delhi and Calcutta, covering military exercises as well as street scenes. The photographs used here were not used in the actual feature (with one exception).
A woman getting rifle training at Lady Shri Ram College. Oliver F. Atkins Photograph Collection. Photo © SEPS
Fish market. Oliver F. Atkins Photograph Collection. Photo © SEPS
Close-up of men recruited for the military. Oliver F. Atkins Photograph Collection. Photo © SEPS
More photographs to come in part 2
