Sports, Life and America: Spectacular Photography of John G. Zimmerman

John Gerald Zimmerman was a talented American photographer. He was interested in photography from an early age. In junior high, he joined a photography club and spent the afternoons developing films with friends in their mothers’ kitchens. Zimmerman took a three-year photography course at John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles.

In 1952, Zimmerman moved to Atlanta. While in Atlanta, he shot a series of notable assignments for Ebony depicting African American lives in the Midwest and the Jim Crow south. He then spent several years working as a freelance photographer for Life and Ebony magazines, capturing the lives of African Americans in the Midwest and the deeply segregated south before the Civil Rights movement. During the 1970s, Zimmerman began working in the more lucrative print advertising field, photographing campaigns for large corporations such as Ford, Chrysler, AT&T, Exxon, G.E., Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

Here are some fabulous photographs of sports, life, and various other events captured by John G. Zimmerman.

#1 Curtis Phillips, winner of the Shoe Shine Contest, Wilson, North Carolina, 1952.

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#2 Department store, 1953.

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#3 Jumping rope, Tennesse, 1953.

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#4 Swimming hole, Tennessee, 1953.

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#5 Matt Ingram, wife Linward and their children pray before dinner, Yanceyville, North Carolina, 1953.

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#6 Southern poverty, 1953.

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#7 Waiting for vaccines, Montgomery, 1953.

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#8 Polio vaccine, Montgomery, 1953.

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#9 Music teacher Katherine Motta in front of her home, 1953.

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#10 Washing dishes, New Orleans, 1953.

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#11 Facing eviction, 1953.

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#12 Rat catcher shows his bounty in the town square, Louisa Kentucky, 1953.

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#13 Joe Louis at gym, 1954.

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#14 Waiting room in the Northland Center Shopping Center, Detroit, 1954.

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#15 Cleaning old glory, Detroit, 1955.

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#16 Cleaning old glory, Detroit, 1955.

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#17 Richard Nixon at Young Republicans Biennial National Convention, Detroit, 1955.

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#18 Boston Marathon finish, 1956.

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#19 Pheasant Hunting

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#20 Ann Marston, Archery

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#21 Tennis Coach Vic Braden, 1975

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#22 Women’s Track & Field, Tuskegee University, 1952

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#23 Tuskegee Nell Jackson in action during photo shoot on campus, 1952

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#24 Rear view of fan during opening day of season at Roosevelt Raceway, 1957

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#25 Floyd Patterson victorious after winning bout by knockout vs Ingemar Johansson at Polo Grounds, 1960.

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#26 visitors searching for agate and jasper during photo shoot on beach.

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#27 Peggy Fleming in action during Free Skating routine at Wiener Eislaufverein, 1967

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#28 Wide view of Australia Ron Clarke with Olympic torch at Melbourne Cricket Ground Stadium. Melbourne, 1956

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#29 Team Itay in action on track during race at Velodrome Melbourne, 1956

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#30 Hungarian Defectors, 1956

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#31 Tony Alva, Skateboarding, 1978

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#32 Floyd Patterson vs Ingemar Johansson, 1960

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#33 Floyd Patterson being fanned with a towel in his room at Ehsan’s training camp, 1959

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#34 Models wearing physical fitness leotards during photo shoot, 1957

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#35 Greg Louganis in action from high dive at Mission Viejo International Swim Complex.

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#36 New York Yankees vs Milwaukee Braves, 1957

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#37 Peggy Fleming in action during Women’s Singles Finals at Ice Stadium at the Parc Paul Mistral, 1958

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#38 US Chess champion Lisa Lane posing during photo shoot at Life Studios.

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#39 Brooklyn Dodgers Jackie Robinson victorious, speaking with members of the media in clubhouse after winning game to win pennant vs Pittsburgh Pirates at Ebbets Field.

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#40 Andy Linden (73) in action during race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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#41 Baseball: World Series, View of fans at Memorial Coliseum, stadium during Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago White Sox game.

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#42 US Open, Arnold Palmer during tournament play at Oakland Hills, Bloomfield Hills.

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#43 1968 Winter Olympics, Portrait of USA Peggy Fleming in action during practice.

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#44 UNC Tommy Kearns (40) in action vs Duke.

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#45 UNC head coach Frank McGuire and team in the locker room.

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#46 View of miscellaneous man preparing before the race.

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#47 1956 Boston Marathon

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#48 Finland Antti Viskari (4) in action during race.

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#49 Brooklyn Dodgers vs Philadelphia Phillies, 1957

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#50 Pittsburgh Pirates vs Brooklyn Dodgers, 1956

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#51 1956 Boston Marathon.

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#52 Brooklyn Dodgers vs New York Yankees, 1956 World Series

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