Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Michael L. Carlebach photography collection
Date(s)
- 1971-2008 (Creation)
Extent
50 Boxes
Name of creator
Biographical history
University of Miami Professor Emeritus Michael L. Carlebach’s (1945-2023) photojournalism career began in New York and Washington, D.C. Upon coming to Florida, he worked briefly as a staff photographer for the Miami Herald. In 1973, he began teaching at the University of Miami, which launched a thirty-year career in higher education. While working at University of Miami, Dr. Carlebach had taught photojournalism at the School of Communication, reestablished the program in American Studies, and chaired the Department of Art & Art History.
Throughout his life, he remained a sought-after photojournalist with a discerning eye for the subtleties of the human condition and the comic aspects of everyday life. His photographs have been published in Time, People, The Miami Herald, The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, and The New York Times. Most of his published books include thorough scholarly histories of photography, such as The Origins of Photojournalism in America and American Photojournalism Comes of Age, both published by Smithsonian Institution Press, while Sunny Land showcases his startling, humorous black and white images of the lesser documented “margins” of South Florida society. He remained active as a photographer, scholar, and writer for most of his life and was especially interested in illuminating the lives of people outside the glare of contemporary media and finding and memorializing extraordinary moments that would otherwise be lost.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Michael L. Carlebach photography collection consists primarily of black and white photographic prints taken and personally hand developed by Professor Michael L. Carlebach. In general, the images are thematically grouped around journalistic pieces published in newspapers, or artistic topics such as portraits and landscapes. The collection also includes pieces shown in various exhibits as well as photographs made for special assignments like the George McGovern 1972 presidential campaign and the exclusive insider’s look at the Krome Avenue Detention Center for refugees in South Florida. Another highlight of the collection includes photographs dealing with the medical profession, especially children in hospital settings. In addition to photographing using 35mm black and white film, Carlebach shot color slides, vividly portraying the flora and fauna of the Everglades, historic structures such as Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and news stories dealing with the environment. The entire collection consists of over 5,000 silver prints, color slides, and publications. Currently over 2,000 items are digitized and made available online.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research.
Physical access
Items from this collection are kept on-campus and may be requested from the first floor Kislak Center in the Otto G. Richter Library at University of Miami. Please contact asc.library@miami.edu to request materials from this collection.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is owned by the estate of Michael L. Carlebach. Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please contact asc.library@miami.edu for more information.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Selected materials from this collection have been digitized.
https://digitalcollections.library.miami.edu/digital/collection/asm0530
Related archival materials
Professor Carlebach's work is also featured in the UM Libraries' Digital Exhibit: "Sharp Focus: Photographs from the Michael L. Carlebach Collection"
Information about related materials is available at http://scholar.library.miami.edu/carlebach/
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Finding aid updated by Yvette Yurubi, Processing Archivist, 09-01-23.