Sol Worth was born Solomon Wishnepolsky. He came into the world on August 19, 1922. His childhood is much of a mystery. In high school, he started his journey to greatness, on paper anyway. He took up painting and managed to get some of his work shown in the Museum of Modern Art. He went on to the University of Iowa and majored in sculpture and painting. Worth spent a brief period in the navy after college, which included being aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. Shortly after coming home, he married Tobia Lessler and they had one daughter together.
Worth developed a very original idea of seeing how a different culture would work with and make a visual communication piece (a movie). The idea seems almost simple now, but all this time that we have coexisted with the Native Americans, no one came up with the idea until Worth did. His basic research project was to let six Navajos make movies that they interpret their own way. These students had no previous film experience and had no prior interest in creating movies. The Navajo showed a great understanding of nature and life in their movies. Since they weren’t exposed to film equipment before, they were more concerned with portraying their ideas than with camera angles, lighting, etc. Most of the films dealt with their everyday life like a summer rain, a tree or a horse.
One film from the Tsosie Sisters showed John Adair (Worth’s assistant) simply hanging up laundry on a line. This film shows how intrigued the Navajo are with us and the idea of capturing an image on film. The movies the Navajo made were groundbreaking and later lead to the book, Through Navajo Eyes. As the title suggests, it was the first glimpse at seeing the world through another culture.
Worth knew better than anyone else the importance of the visual aspect in anthropology. Around 1895, cameras and pictures began to be used. Before then, archeologists had to sketch and draw the arrowhead or bone that they found. The idea of the photograph is to illustrate objects and places but not necessarily to prove things true. Worth put it all together when he said that pictures and movies communicate to us and help develop a wider understanding. He believed that raw, uncut film footage gives the greatest amount of truth. It was free of human interpretations and interference. Worth also stressed that the use of symbols should be kept in check.
Worth’s work is still being studied, over 20 years since it has been written. Sadly, his life was cut short just as he was going to start another book and continue his work. Sol Worth died of a heart attack while attending a film seminar (Aug. 29, 1977).
Sol Worth.“Sol Worth’s Home Page” Copyright 1997 Tobia Worth. http://www.temple.edu/anthro/worth/worth.html
Worth, Sol. Studying Visual Communication. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Press, 1981.
Worth, Sol. Through Navajo Eyes. Albuquerque: New Mexico Press, 1997.
Written by Benson Hopp
Edited by Marcy L. Voelker, 2007