November 30, 2023

By James Addiss
From the 2023 Newsletter

The architectural photographer and historian Cervin Robinson died peacefully in his home in Wakefield, Rhode Island on December 22, 2022. The son of architect Frank J. Robinson, Robinson studied at Exeter Academy and Harvard University, and then later served in the United States Army. 

He began photographing architecture as an assistant to Walker Evans in the Library of Congress’ Historic American Buildings Survey. He was widely published in magazines and contributed to histories including The Architecture of Frank Furness (1973) by James H. O’Gorman. He co-authored two books, Skyscraper Style (1975) with Rosemary Haag Bletter, and a history of architectural photography, Architecture Transformed (1985) with Joel Herschman. His work was widely exhibited in galleries and museums. 

An honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), he received a special commendation as a photographer and historian from the AIA. His wife, sculptor Lucy Hodgson, and two sons, Samuel Hodgson Robinson and Moses Hazard Robinson, survive him.