The Photographs of John Mark Hall

In 1975, armed with a bachelor’s degree in architecture from NC State, North Carolina native John Mark Hall moved to New York City, where he found success both before and behind the camera. “I was lucky,” says Hall. “I fell into a great crowd that included Andy Warhol and Andy’s friend, interior designer Jed Johnson. We traveled to see the world, and I always sought to visit the architectural sites.” To earn money for his travels, Hall was a model for a time for Elite Modeling Agency in both Paris and Milan. He settled back in New York in 1981 to concentrate on building a freelance photography business. When he began to take pictures, Hall found he had a good sense of composition, although he admits he didn’t know much technically. He preferred to shoot interiors and architecture because he found these subjects to be “a bit more intellectual.” According to Hall, the interiors photography world in New York was relatively small then. When he started, he was the new kid in town and there was no guarantee of work. But he gradually got a portfolio together—“winging it, while learning a lot of technique”—and built a commercial client base in New York and beyond.

From those formative beginnings, Hall’s photographic work of architecture, interiors and gardens found its home in such magazines as House and Garden, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and Veranda. He was also the photographer for numerous books, including Biedermeier, Greek Revival America, Adventures with Old Houses, Designing Women and Private Gardens of Connecticut. His photography also appeared in The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. His work has been exhibited in many museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Art Gallery and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

This exhibition is a sampling of what captured Hall's eye in North Carolina, how his career flourished in New York City and where his experiences took him as he pushed himself to travel to more exotic places, and to create fine art. For a deeper dive, take a look at the complete portfolio at the NC State Libraries Special Collections Research Center.