The Illustrated Cameraman: Labor, Industry, and Technological Change in the Cartoons of Glenn Kershner, ASC

Cameraman Glenn R. Kershner worked in Hollywood from the 1920s through the 1950s, mastering everything from aerial photography to process work. Though his work in motion pictures is little known today, he created vivid images of his profession through dozens of cartoons printed in the motion picture technicians' publications, American Cinematographer and International Photographer. In his illustrations, Kershner emphasized the heroism, professionalism, and technical expertise of the workers of Hollywood while also revealing their anxieties about technological and industrial change. In this essay, these cartoons are used to understand how Hollywood technical workers understood their professions and their industry. Kershner's cartoons offer a craft worker's perspective on key industrial upheavals, from the introduction of sound to the growth of labor unions.