Obituary: Harold Corsini-Photographer who chronicled steel industry
His eclectic photography career took him around the world, but Harold Corsini was best known for chronicling the steel industry, primarily in Pittsburgh, his adopted home.
Mr. Corsini, of Shadyside, died Tuesday of complications related to a stroke. He was 88.
Born in New York City to northern Italian immigrants, Mr. Corsini was given his first camera as an adolescent, and his passion and talent were instantly apparent. A photo he took when he was about 16, an aerial shot of football players, is archived in the George Eastman Collection in Rochester, N.Y.
In the 1940s, after a brief stint with Life magazine, Mr. Corsini worked on photographer Roy Stryker's Standard Oil project, documenting the company's worldwide efforts.
As part of the project, Mr. Corsini spent time as a World War II correspondent in the Pacific and documented oil operations in Saudi Arabia.
His tireless spirit of adventure was apparent when some Saudis offered Mr. Corsini a traditional delicacy for guests -- a sheep eye.
"And he ate it," said Dr. Julius Youngner, a longtime friend. "That was Harold. That's the kind of guy he was."
Initially, he wasn't a Pittsburgh kind of guy. His first visit to the city came in 1947, while wrapping up the Standard Oil project, and he didn't like it, vowing never to return.
But a year later, Mr. Stryker asked him along on another project, for the soon-to-be-built Pittsburgh Photographic Library. His second trip to the city led him to agree to take the job and, eager to settle down with his wife, Mary, whom he married in 1941, he never left after moving here in 1950.
For the photographic library, Mr. Corsini chronicled the city's first Renaissance, which included redevelopment of the Point and construction of Gateway Center.
He then opened his own commercial studio and eventually became the official photographer for U.S. Steel.
In the steel industry Mr. Corsini became the go-to guy when a company needed a skilled hand for a photo.
"He had such an eye, he managed to catch anything he went for with a lens and [the photographs] were spectacular," said Stephen Cohen, a friend from the city's Art Commission, of which Mr. Corsini was president for a time in the 1970s and 80s.
Mr. Corsini officially retired when he sold his studio in 1975, but he continued teaching photography and design at Carnegie Mellon University and working on various projects.
Helen Clay Frick commissioned Mr. Corsini to produce a gift book of exhibits in the Frick Art Museum and inventory all of the possessions in her Clayton mansion. He also photographed Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in rural Mill Run, in each of the four seasons.
His photographic work is displayed in at least a dozen museums worldwide, from Korea to the Netherlands, and Pitt houses the Harold Corsini archives.
Mr. Corsini is survived by his wife; a brother, Raymond of Honolulu; a daughter, Deborah Corsini of Pacifica, Calif.; and a son, Gregory of Highland Park.
The funeral and interment are private.
His eclectic photography career took him around the world, but Harold Corsini was best known for chronicling the steel industry, primarily in Pittsburgh, his adopted home.
Mr. Corsini, of Shadyside, died Tuesday of complications related to a stroke. He was 88.
Born in New York City to northern Italian immigrants, Mr. Corsini was given his first camera as an adolescent, and his passion and talent were instantly apparent. A photo he took when he was about 16, an aerial shot of football players, is archived in the George Eastman Collection in Rochester, N.Y.
In the 1940s, after a brief stint with Life magazine, Mr. Corsini worked on photographer Roy Stryker's Standard Oil project, documenting the company's worldwide efforts.
As part of the project, Mr. Corsini spent time as a World War II correspondent in the Pacific and documented oil operations in Saudi Arabia.
His tireless spirit of adventure was apparent when some Saudis offered Mr. Corsini a traditional delicacy for guests -- a sheep eye.
"And he ate it," said Dr. Julius Youngner, a longtime friend. "That was Harold. That's the kind of guy he was."
Initially, he wasn't a Pittsburgh kind of guy. His first visit to the city came in 1947, while wrapping up the Standard Oil project, and he didn't like it, vowing never to return.
But a year later, Mr. Stryker asked him along on another project, for the soon-to-be-built Pittsburgh Photographic Library. His second trip to the city led him to agree to take the job and, eager to settle down with his wife, Mary, whom he married in 1941, he never left after moving here in 1950.
For the photographic library, Mr. Corsini chronicled the city's first Renaissance, which included redevelopment of the Point and construction of Gateway Center.
He then opened his own commercial studio and eventually became the official photographer for U.S. Steel.
In the steel industry Mr. Corsini became the go-to guy when a company needed a skilled hand for a photo.
"He had such an eye, he managed to catch anything he went for with a lens and [the photographs] were spectacular," said Stephen Cohen, a friend from the city's Art Commission, of which Mr. Corsini was president for a time in the 1970s and 80s.
Mr. Corsini officially retired when he sold his studio in 1975, but he continued teaching photography and design at Carnegie Mellon University and working on various projects.
Helen Clay Frick commissioned Mr. Corsini to produce a gift book of exhibits in the Frick Art Museum and inventory all of the possessions in her Clayton mansion. He also photographed Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in rural Mill Run, in each of the four seasons.
His photographic work is displayed in at least a dozen museums worldwide, from Korea to the Netherlands, and Pitt houses the Harold Corsini archives.
Mr. Corsini is survived by his wife; a brother, Raymond of Honolulu; a daughter, Deborah Corsini of Pacifica, Calif.; and a son, Gregory of Highland Park.
The funeral and interment are private.
Obituary: Harold Corsini-Photographer who chronicled steel industry
His eclectic photography career took him around the world, but Harold Corsini was best known for chronicling the steel industry, primarily in Pittsburgh, his adopted home.
Mr. Corsini, of Shadyside, died Tuesday of complications related to a stroke. He was 88.
Born in New York City to northern Italian immigrants, Mr. Corsini was given his first camera as an adolescent, and his passion and talent were instantly apparent. A photo he took when he was about 16, an aerial shot of football players, is archived in the George Eastman Collection in Rochester, N.Y.
In the 1940s, after a brief stint with Life magazine, Mr. Corsini worked on photographer Roy Stryker's Standard Oil project, documenting the company's worldwide efforts.
As part of the project, Mr. Corsini spent time as a World War II correspondent in the Pacific and documented oil operations in Saudi Arabia.
His tireless spirit of adventure was apparent when some Saudis offered Mr. Corsini a traditional delicacy for guests -- a sheep eye.
"And he ate it," said Dr. Julius Youngner, a longtime friend. "That was Harold. That's the kind of guy he was."
Initially, he wasn't a Pittsburgh kind of guy. His first visit to the city came in 1947, while wrapping up the Standard Oil project, and he didn't like it, vowing never to return.
But a year later, Mr. Stryker asked him along on another project, for the soon-to-be-built Pittsburgh Photographic Library. His second trip to the city led him to agree to take the job and, eager to settle down with his wife, Mary, whom he married in 1941, he never left after moving here in 1950.
For the photographic library, Mr. Corsini chronicled the city's first Renaissance, which included redevelopment of the Point and construction of Gateway Center.
He then opened his own commercial studio and eventually became the official photographer for U.S. Steel.
In the steel industry Mr. Corsini became the go-to guy when a company needed a skilled hand for a photo.
"He had such an eye, he managed to catch anything he went for with a lens and [the photographs] were spectacular," said Stephen Cohen, a friend from the city's Art Commission, of which Mr. Corsini was president for a time in the 1970s and 80s.
Mr. Corsini officially retired when he sold his studio in 1975, but he continued teaching photography and design at Carnegie Mellon University and working on various projects.
Helen Clay Frick commissioned Mr. Corsini to produce a gift book of exhibits in the Frick Art Museum and inventory all of the possessions in her Clayton mansion. He also photographed Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in rural Mill Run, in each of the four seasons.
His photographic work is displayed in at least a dozen museums worldwide, from Korea to the Netherlands, and Pitt houses the Harold Corsini archives.
Mr. Corsini is survived by his wife; a brother, Raymond of Honolulu; a daughter, Deborah Corsini of Pacifica, Calif.; and a son, Gregory of Highland Park.
The funeral and interment are private.
His eclectic photography career took him around the world, but Harold Corsini was best known for chronicling the steel industry, primarily in Pittsburgh, his adopted home.
Mr. Corsini, of Shadyside, died Tuesday of complications related to a stroke. He was 88.
Born in New York City to northern Italian immigrants, Mr. Corsini was given his first camera as an adolescent, and his passion and talent were instantly apparent. A photo he took when he was about 16, an aerial shot of football players, is archived in the George Eastman Collection in Rochester, N.Y.
In the 1940s, after a brief stint with Life magazine, Mr. Corsini worked on photographer Roy Stryker's Standard Oil project, documenting the company's worldwide efforts.
As part of the project, Mr. Corsini spent time as a World War II correspondent in the Pacific and documented oil operations in Saudi Arabia.
His tireless spirit of adventure was apparent when some Saudis offered Mr. Corsini a traditional delicacy for guests -- a sheep eye.
"And he ate it," said Dr. Julius Youngner, a longtime friend. "That was Harold. That's the kind of guy he was."
Initially, he wasn't a Pittsburgh kind of guy. His first visit to the city came in 1947, while wrapping up the Standard Oil project, and he didn't like it, vowing never to return.
But a year later, Mr. Stryker asked him along on another project, for the soon-to-be-built Pittsburgh Photographic Library. His second trip to the city led him to agree to take the job and, eager to settle down with his wife, Mary, whom he married in 1941, he never left after moving here in 1950.
For the photographic library, Mr. Corsini chronicled the city's first Renaissance, which included redevelopment of the Point and construction of Gateway Center.
He then opened his own commercial studio and eventually became the official photographer for U.S. Steel.
In the steel industry Mr. Corsini became the go-to guy when a company needed a skilled hand for a photo.
"He had such an eye, he managed to catch anything he went for with a lens and [the photographs] were spectacular," said Stephen Cohen, a friend from the city's Art Commission, of which Mr. Corsini was president for a time in the 1970s and 80s.
Mr. Corsini officially retired when he sold his studio in 1975, but he continued teaching photography and design at Carnegie Mellon University and working on various projects.
Helen Clay Frick commissioned Mr. Corsini to produce a gift book of exhibits in the Frick Art Museum and inventory all of the possessions in her Clayton mansion. He also photographed Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in rural Mill Run, in each of the four seasons.
His photographic work is displayed in at least a dozen museums worldwide, from Korea to the Netherlands, and Pitt houses the Harold Corsini archives.
Mr. Corsini is survived by his wife; a brother, Raymond of Honolulu; a daughter, Deborah Corsini of Pacifica, Calif.; and a son, Gregory of Highland Park.
The funeral and interment are private.
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