Arts & Entertainment
Remembering a Forgotten Photographer of Chicago History
He took photographs of the Eastland disaster, the race riots, and every picture you’ve seen of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
Jun Fujita was also the country’s first Japanese-American photojournalist.
Chicago Tonight unearths the buried legacy of the great photographer, and explores the multifaceted background of a man who was also a poet, a carpenter and visual artist.
We traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to find a living relative, who shared stories of Fujita’s encounter with Al Capone, and his lifelong love affair with the woman he could not marry for decades because of miscegenation laws of the era.
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Jun Fujita (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Jun Fujita (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Jun Fujita (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Jun Fujita (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Jun Fujita (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Jun Fujita (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Jun Fujita (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
Jun Fujita (Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
(Jun Fujita / Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum)
Indiana Dunes (Jun Fujita / Courtesy of Graham and Pamela Lee)
You can learn more at the Poetry Foundation, which presents the exhibition “Jun Fujita: Oblivion” through April 21.
More: Read Fujita’s poems
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