Abstract This article investigates the exhibition format Creative Austria, first presented in 1952 at the Vienna America House, with a particular focus on the work of photographer Yoichi Okamoto, head of the Pictorial Section of the United States Information Service (USIS). While American cultural policy in postwar Austria has been widely studied, the specific role of Creative Austria and Okamoto’s contributions have received little attention. Drawing on materials from the Austrian National Library, including the USIS archive and Okamoto’s private photographic estate, the study explores the aesthetic, conceptual, and political dimensions of the exhibition format. It examines Okamoto’s portraits of Austrian artists, produced between 1952 and 1954, as a strategic element of US cultural diplomacy, designed to promote democratic values and a modern visual language. The article highlights how Okamoto integrated American “picture story” techniques, modeled on publications such as Life and TIME, thereby influencing Austrian press and art photography. Furthermore, his approach combined documentary precision with narrative and artistic sensitivity, emphasizing the individuality of artists while reflecting broader societal dynamics. The study also traces Okamoto’s return to artist portraits in the 1980s, demonstrating the continuity of his artistic vision independent of official US cultural agendas.
Abstract This article describes the perception of the guest performance of Porgy and Bess in Vienna in September 1952. While the complex history of the creation and reception of Porgy and Bess in the US has been carefully researched, the reception of the European guest performance has been largely limited to analyses of Robert Breen’s 1950s restaging of the original libretto by DuBose Heyward and George and Ira Gershwin and the embedding of Porgy and Bess in US cultural diplomacy in Germany and Austria during the Cold War, without taking into account the differences between the two countries. The author argues that the media reception of Porgy and Bess in postwar Austria cannot be understood without considering the dominant position of the US occupying power in Austria and the political orientation of the press, which is reflected in the commentaries. The spectacular media success of Porgy and Bess can be seen as a prime example of the successful media and cultural policy of the American occupying power in Austria, which not only promoted American culture but also helped to overcome racial prejudices in an extremely conservative country.
Abstract Drawing on American documents from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, this article examines the development, scope, and significance of the American photographic service (Pictorial Section) in Austria during the country’s postwar occupation. Special attention is given to the heads of this section, the photographers Howard R. Hollem and Yoichi R. Okamoto. Under Okamoto, who employed and trained many Austrian press photographers, the Pictorial Section fostered modern photojournalism in Austria. Furthermore, the daily Wiener Kurier, owned and edited by the American occupational forces, with its weekly pictorial supplement shaped postwar Austrian visual culture. At the same time, the highly requested photos of the Pictorial Section that were distributed free of charge served their propagandistic purpose: They helped accomplish America’s cultural mission in Austria and took a firm stand in the Cold War.
Abstract Hans Gross is internationally recognized as one of the founding fathers of criminal science. With his aspiration for a (natural) science-based approach, he laid the foundation for interdisciplinary engagement in the investigation, prosecution, and prevention of crime. Literature indicates that Gross had connections to international researchers, including in the United States, with recent findings indicating a particularly close relationship with John Henry Wigmore—one of the key figures in shaping American evidence law. This article therefore aims to examine the relationship between Hans Gross and John Henry Wigmore under the hypothesis that Gross might have significantly influenced transatlantic developments in the early twentieth century with the support of Wigmore. Based on extensive archival research on materials, primarily personal correspondence, related to Gross and Wigmore, the article highlights the special connection between these two pioneers and its impact on American developments. These influences can be seen both in the shift toward a more scientific approach to criminal science in the United States through access to Austrian literature and in the establishment of the first American forensic laboratories, inspired and guided by Gross’s recommendations.
Abstract In studying Austrian refugees in the United States during World War II, most scholars have focused on the immediate context of exile and divorced émigrés from their pasts. However, this article foregrounds historical continuities from Austria’s First Republic in a study of the political culture among Austrian refugees. These continuities include the importance of sociability to politics, the siloed nature of exile political organizations, the persistence of interwar debates about monarchy or Anschluss, and a similar set of imperial-era and interwar actors. In returning to interwar Austrian political life, this article juxtaposes the polarization with private cross-party sociability and consociationalism. Continuities are then traced into exile where New York City became a center for Austrian émigré life and where, from 1939, there was a series of Austrian and Austrian-American exile organizations that advocated for refugees, promoted Austrian culture, and hosted social events. Finally, scholars have been perplexed as to why Austrian refugees in the United States never formed a single representative organization or united front until after the liberation of Austria in 1945. This article points to tensions surrounding Otto Habsburg’s high profile and the intransigence of Friedrich Adler as two examples of past Austrian historical debates preventing cooperation.
