Susan Meiselas (born 1948) is a renowned American documentary photographer and filmmaker whose work is rooted in a deep commitment to social justice, conflict reporting, and human rights. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, she earned a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. in Visual Education from Harvard University. In 1976, she joined Magnum Photos, gaining early recognition for Carnival Strippers (1976), a groundbreaking photographic and audio documentation of women performing in traveling strip shows across the northeastern U.S., later exhibited at the Whitney Museum in 2000.
Throughout her career, Meiselas has photographed war zones, revolutions, and humanitarian crises across the globe, often with a focus on underrepresented voices and the long-term consequences of violence. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she documented the Nicaraguan Revolution, the Salvadoran Civil War, and the aftermath of the El Mozote Massacre—work that earned her the Robert Capa Gold Medal for “outstanding courage and reporting.” Her images from El Salvador were later used in congressional debates about U.S. military involvement in Central America.
Meiselas’s practice extends beyond photography into film, education, and activism. She worked as an editor on Frederick Wiseman’s Basic Training (1971), taught in rural schools, and helped develop visual education curricula in New York City. Her work has continued to engage complex social issues including migration, domestic violence, and sexual subcultures, with projects such as Pandora’s Box (1995), Crossings (1990), and collaborative efforts with Human Rights Watch on modern slavery and migrant labor.
She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship (1992), the Hasselblad Award (1994), and an Emmy for cinematography. Her photographs are held in major public and private collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Fogg Museum at Harvard, the International Center of Photography, SFMOMA, and the Library of Congress. Meiselas continues to live and work in New York City, using her camera as a tool for truth-telling and advocacy.
Other works available upon request.
