George Dunham

George Dunham was born in 1896 in Riverside County, California. He went on to Harvard University to pursue graduate work in English and Music. At Harvard, Dunham attended the influential “47 Workshop” class taught by George Pierce Baker. Dunham returned to the seaside art colony then forming in Laguna Beach, California in 1923.

In the years that followed Dunham became an actor and director of the Community Players of Laguna Beach. Dunham was also an accomplished writer, who had provided articles on theater to the local newspaper.

In 1931 after leaving the Community Players, Dunham met and became friends with photographer and teacher William Mortensen. Mortensen had arrived in Laguna Beach in 1931 and opened the William Mortensen School of Photography. Dunham began posing for Mortensen in 1932, which yielded one of Mortensen’s most well known photographs, Human Relations 1932. Dunham also became the literary voice of Mortensen from 1933 through the late 1950s writing all of the books and articles attributed to that famous photographer.

Theirs was a literary collaboration, with Mortensen outlining the ideas and thrust of the book or article and Dunham providing the words and wit. However, Dunham’s contribution to Mortensen’s literary success was kept a secret from all but a few in the photography world and wasn’t revealed until the 3rd printing of How to Pose the Model. Dunham was finally recognized as coauthor of all of Mortensen’s literary works.

Their collaboration, but not their friendship, ended in the late 1950s with the last of the articles. Dunham died of cancer in 1976.