Smith, W. E. (1971). Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath. Retrieved from https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/tomoko-uemura-in-her-bath/.
Photographer W. Eugene Smith created a striking photographic essay that drew attention to the Minamata disease, a neurological syndrome resulting from severe mercury poisoning. This poisoning was the consequence of methyl-mercury in the industrial wastewater discharged by the Chisso Corporation’s chemical factory. Tragically, this disease claimed the lives of thousands covertly, with minimal intervention from the government or the company to prevent pollution.
This particular photograph captures Ryoko Uemura cradling her deformed daughter, Tomoko, within a Japanese bath chamber. Tomoko had suffered mercury poisoning while still in the womb.
A month later, Smith was assaulted by Chisso employees, resulting in a permanently damaged eye and compromised health. This attack brought him into the local news spotlight, ultimately compelling the government to take more direct actions and causing the company to offer compensation due to the popularity surrounding his photographic work.
Without Smith’s contribution in bringing attention to this environmental crisis and the severe health risks faced by civilians, it is likely that the government and the company would have continued to evade accountability for their actions, allowing their citizens to succumb to this devastating disease. Smith’s powerful social statement through his photographic work was the catalyst that forced them into action.
Very thorough!