In January 1916 photographer and teacher Clarence H. White and some of his fellow photographers including Karl Struss, Gertrude Kaesebier, and Edward Dickinson founded The Pictorial Photographers of America.

It was to be a national organization promoting “pictorial”  photography; it was to  emphasize artistic expression rather than documentary, commercial,or other realistic approaches.

Today PPA is in its 101st season and meets at 7 p.m. at 346 West 20th Street in Chelsea (Manhattan, New York City) every 2nd and 4th Tuesday (1 meeting only in December), except June – September. Summer programs are on a special and flexible schedule. October marks the beginning of each new club season.

The 2nd Tuesday of the month is devoted to competitions in print, slide and digital formats, both color and black-and-white. The 4th of the month Tuesday features presentations and discussion, most often by photo professionals. Visitors are welcome! 

Competition judges as well as the presenters are professionals from New York’s diverse photography community. Among them have been Eddie Adams, John Loengard, Al Satterwhite, Nancy and David Brown, Benedict J. Fernandez, Jill Enfield, Andrew French, Charles Traub, Pradeep Dalal, and Joyce Culver, to name just a few. In April 2006 PPA celebrated its 90th anniversary with a month-long exhibit of members’ work at the Westbeth Gallery, and the 100th anniversary was just marked in September 2016 with an exhibit at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY, September 10 – October 2. The club publishes a monthly newsletter, Light and Shade, featuring information on each month’s meetings, other club activities, competition scores, current notable exhibits in museums and galleries, and other items of interest to members. People interested in photography can join PPA throughout the year.