Moving Pictures: Karl Struss and the Rise of Hollywood

This multimedia examination of photographer and cinematographer Karl Struss celebrates his storied career and influence on American filmmaking during Hollywood’s Golden Age. 

Featuring archival materials, films, and over 100 photographs from the Carter’s extensive Struss Artist Archive, Moving Pictures: Karl Struss and the Rise of Hollywood highlights Struss’s innovations in image-making and unique contributions to the film industry in the early 20th century. Beginning when he left a successful career as a photographer in New York to start fresh in Los Angeles, Moving Pictures shines light on the innovative artistic approaches and techniques Struss brought to the world of moving pictures. Through behind-the-scenes footage, glamorous film stills and publicity images, and even Struss’s Oscar awarded for cinematography, the exhibition tells the story of how a fine-art photographer became one of the most influential cinematographers in Hollywood.

Credit: Overview from museum website