Years before he became an internationally known photographer, Jack Welpott was swimming in the quarries around Bloomington and frequenting the Potter Billiard Room (across the street from Nick’s English Hut) like other area youngsters. Jack began shooting photographs at age 13, and in 1942, he followed in his brothers’ footsteps by enrolling at Indiana University. Jack’s education was interrupted when he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. During his enlistment he served in the South Pacific, where he monitored Japanese radio transmissions. After the war, he used the G. I. Bill to return to IU where he completed a BS in Business in 1949, an MS in Education in 1954, and an MFA in 1959. While a graduate student he studied photography under Henry Holmes Smith and painting under Harry Engel. One of Jack’s classmates was future photographer and photomontagist Jerry Uelsmann. Jack was the first student at IU to receive an MFA with a concentration in photography; Uelsmann was the second.
After leaving Bloomington, Jack began teaching at San Francisco State University. From 1949-1959 Jack worked for the Indiana University Audio-Visual Center as a photographer. The photographs in this exhibit are from those years, the years before he became an internationally known photographer and respected teacher who was well known for his studies of nude women.