Charles Krutch (1887 – October 27, 1981) was a photographer in Tennessee.[1] He was nicknamed the Corot of the South (Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot) for his soft color work.[2] His work is in a collection at the Museum of Modern Art.[3]
Krutch was born in Knoxville, Tennessee.[4] His brother Joseph Krutch became an author and professor of literature at Columbia University. His uncle, Charles Christopher Crutch (1849–1934), painted the Smoky Mountains.[5] [6]
Krutch succeeded Lewis Hine as photographer at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The agency paid the independently wealthy Krutch, an aspiring photographer, $2,500 a year.[7] He had taken pictures for the Knoxville News-Sentinel. He received accolades from The New York Times and was recruited by another government agency to do a series of photos for its syphilis campaign.[8]
He retired from the TVA in 1954 after twenty years at the federal utility as a photographer and head of its graphic arts department.[5]
Upon his death in 1981, he bequeathed land to the city of Knoxville to create a “quiety retreat for the pleasure and health of the public.”[9] Krutch Park now hosts a sculpture garden maintained by the Dogwood Arts Foundation, which changes the sculptures twice per year. The park is also a meeting point for social activism.