On Friday, November 26, Leica
Camera presented a special edition Leica M3 to one of the legends of
photography, American photographer David Douglas Duncan. The camera, labelled M3D (D for Duncan) is
similar to a specially made Leica M3D that was made for him in 1955. Only four of those models were made at that
time. That camera was the forerunner of
the Leica MP which became available in 1956.
David Douglas Duncan with his new Leica M3D (Photo: Heiland)
Duncan was born in Kansas
City, Missouri in 1916. He started his
career as a photojournalist when he took photographs of a hotel fire in Tucson,
Arizona where he was then studying archaeology at the University of Arizona. Those photos included some of a guest who
tried repeatedly to go back into the burning building to retrieve his suitcase. That guest turned out to be the notorious
bank robber John Dillinger.
After college, Duncan began
to freelance, selling his work to magazines like The Kansas City Star, Life and
the National Geographic Magazine. After
Pearl Harbor Duncan joined the Marine Corps, earned an officer's commission,
and became a combat photographer. Just
before the United States entered World War II, Duncan was sent to the south
Pacific on assignment. Duncan also
covered the battle of Okinawa, and was on board the USS Missouri during the
Japanese surrender.
After the war he was hired by
Life to join their staff. During his
time with Life he covered many events including the end of the British Raj in
India and conflicts in Turkey, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Many consider his most famous
photographs those he took during the Korean War. He later compiled many of those photos in a
book called “This Is War.” He donated
the proceeds of the book to widows and children of Marines who had been killed
in the conflict. Duncan is considered to
be the most prominent combat photographer of the Korean War.
After the Vietnam War he
published two more books, “I Protest” in 1968 and “War Without Heroes” in 1970.
Besides his combat
photographs, Duncan is also known for his photographs of Pablo Picasso, to whom
he had been introduced by fellow photographer Robert Capa. He became a close friend of Picasso and
eventually published seven books about him.
He now lives in Castellaras, France, close to Mougins where Picasso
spent his last 12 years.
In 1966 he published “Yankee
Nomad,” a photographic autobiography with photographs he took during his
career. In 2003 this book was revised and published under the title of “Photo
Nomad.” Another book, “The World of
Allah,” was published in 1982.
Many of his photographs are
displayed in the exhibition "Magic Moments - 60 Jahre Leica M" at the
Leica Gallery of Leica Camera AG at Leitz Park in Wetzlar.
The special edition Leica M3D
is limited to just 16 examples. They are engraved with Duncan's signature on the back of the camera. These
also include a signed enlargement of Duncan’s photograph "Picasso holding
the Snow Owl mask.”
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Order: info@gmpphoto.com
Please make payment
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Click on ad to
enlarge
Order: info@gmpphoto.com
Please make payment
via PayPal to GMP Photography
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