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Alfred Eisenstaedt
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"Eisenstaedt" redirects here. For other uses, see Eisenstadt (disambiguation).

Alfred Eisenstaedt (December 6, 1898 – August 23, 1995) was a German-born American photographer
and photojournalist. He began his career in Germany prior to World War II but achieved prominence as a
staff photographer for Life magazine after moving to the U.S. Life featured more than 90 of his pictures on
its covers, and more than 2,500 of his photo stories were published.[1]

Among his most famous cover photographs was

V-J Day in Times Square, taken during the V-J Alfred Eisenstaedt
Day celebration in New York City, showing an
American sailor kissing a nurse in a "dancelike
dip" which "summed up the euphoria many
Americans felt as the war came to a close", in the
words of his obituary.[2] He was "renowned for
his ability to capture memorable images of
important people in the news" and for his candid
photographs taken with a small 35mm Leica
camera, typically with natural lighting.[2]

Contents

Early life

Professional photographer
Style and technique
London, 1932
Martha's Vineyard
Born December 6, 1898
Personal life and death Dirschau, West Prussia,
German Empire (now
Notable Eisenstaedt photographs
Tczew, Poland)
Awards and recognition
Died August 23, 1995
Exhibitions
(aged 96)
Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Oak Bluffs,
Photography Massachusetts, U.S.

See also Occupation Photojournalism

References
Spouse Kathy Kaye (1949-1972;
External links her death)

Military career
Early life
Allegiance German Empire

Eisenstaedt was born in Dirschau (Tczew) in West

Service/branch Imperial German Army
Prussia, Imperial Germany in 1898.[3] His family
was Jewish and moved to Berlin in 1906. Years of service 1914—1918
Eisenstaedt was fascinated by photography from
his youth and began taking pictures at age 11 Battles/wars First World War (WIA)

when he was given his first camera, an Eastman

Kodak Folding Camera[4] with roll film. He later served in the German Army's artillery during World War I and
was wounded in 1918. While working as a belt and button salesman in the 1920s in Weimar Germany,
Eisenstaedt began taking photographs as a freelancer for the Pacific and Atlantic Photos' Berlin office in
1928. The office was taken over by the Associated Press in 1931.

Professional photographer

Eisenstaedt became a full-time photographer in 1929 when he was

hired by the Associated Press office in Germany, and within a year he
was described as a "photographer extraordinaire."[5] He also worked
for Illustrierte Zeitung, published by Ullstein Verlag, then the world's
largest publishing house.[5] Four years later he photographed the
famous first meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in
Italy. Other notable early pictures by Eisenstaedt include his
depiction of a waiter at the ice rink of the Grand Hotel in St. Moritz in
Eisenstaedt signing a "V-J Day in Times
1932 and Joseph Goebbels at the League of Nations in Geneva in Square" print on August 23, 1995, at his
1933. Although initially friendly, Goebbels scowled at Eisenstaedt Menemsha cabin on Martha's Vineyard
when he took the photograph, after learning that Eisenstaedt was
Jewish.[6]

In 1935, Fascist Italy's impending invasion of Ethiopia led to a burst of international interest in Ethiopia.
While working for Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung, Alfred took over 3,500 photographs in Ethiopia, before
emigrating to the United States, where he joined Life magazine, but returned in the following year to
Ethiopia to continue his photography.[7]

Eisenstaedt's family was Jewish. Oppression in Hitler's Nazi Germany caused them to emigrate to the
U.S.[8] They arrived in 1935 and settled in New York, where he subsequently became a naturalized
citizen,[9] and joined fellow Associated Press émigrés Leon Daniel and Celia Kutschuk in their PIX Publishing
photo agency founded that year. The following year, 1936, Time founder Henry Luce bought Life magazine,
and Eisenstaedt, already noted for his photography in Europe,[5] was asked to join the new magazine as one
of its original staff of four photographers, including Margaret Bourke-White and Robert Capa.[8] He
remained a staff photographer from 1936 to 1972, achieving notability for his photojournalism of news
events and celebrities.[2]

Along with entertainers and celebrities, he photographed politicians, philosophers, artists, industrialists,
and authors during his career with Life. By 1972, he had photographed nearly 2,500 stories and had more
than 90 of his photos on the cover.[10] With Life's circulation of two million readers, Eisenstaedt's reputation
increased substantially.[5] According to one historian, "his photographs have a power and a symbolic
resonance that made him one of the best Life photographers."[11] In subsequent years, he also worked for
Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Town & Country and others.[11]

Style and technique

From his early years as professional photographer he became an enthusiast for small 35 mm film cameras,
especially the Leica camera. Unlike most news photographers at the time who relied on much larger and
less portable 4"×5" press cameras with flash attachments, Eisenstaedt preferred the smaller hand-held
Leica, which gave him greater speed and more flexibility when shooting news events or capturing candids
of people in action.[9] His photos were also notable as a result of his typical use of natural light as opposed
to relying on flash lighting.[9] In 1944, Life described him as the "dean of today's miniature-camera
experts."[5]

At the time, this style of photojournalism, with a smaller camera with its ability to use available light, was
then in its infancy.[10] It also helped Eisenstaedt create a more relaxed atmosphere when photographing
famous people where he was able to capture more natural poses and expressions: "They don't take me too
seriously with my little camera," he stated. "I don't come as a photographer. I come as a friend."[10] It was a
style he learned from his 35 years in Europe, where he preferred making informal, unposed portraits, along
with extended picture stories. As a result, Life began using more such photo stories, with the magazine
becoming a recognized source of such photojournalism of the world's luminaries.[10] Of Life's
photographers, Eisenstaedt was most noted for his "human interest" photos and less the hard news images
used by most news publications.[10]

His success at establishing a relaxed setting for his subjects was not without difficulties, however, when he
needed to capture the feeling he wanted. Anthony Eden, resistant to being photographed, called
Eisenstaedt "the gentle executioner."[10] Similarly, Winston Churchill told him where to place the camera to
get a good picture,[10] and during a photo shoot of Ernest Hemingway in his boat, Hemingway, in a rage,
tore his own shirt to shreds and threatened to throw Eisenstaedt overboard.[10]

Martha's Vineyard

Eisenstaedt, known as "Eisie" to his close friends, enjoyed his annual

August vacations on the island of Martha's Vineyard for 50 years.
During these summers, he would conduct photographic experiments,
working with different lenses, filters, and prisms in natural light.
Eisenstaedt was fond of Martha's Vineyard's photogenic lighthouses
and was the focus of lighthouse fundraisers organized by Vineyard
Environmental Research Institute (VERI).
Eisenstaedt photographing the Clinton
Two years before his death, Eisenstaedt photographed President Bill family on Martha's Vineyard.
Clinton with wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea. The session took
place at the Granary Gallery in West Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard and was documented by a photograph
published in People magazine on September 13, 1993.[12]

Personal life and death

After first settling in New York City in 1935, Eisenstaedt lived in Jackson Heights, Queens (NYC) for the rest
of his life. He met Kathy Kaye, a South African woman, and married her in 1949. The couple had no children
and remained together until her death in 1972. Until shortly before Eisenstaedt's death, he would walk daily
from his home to his Life office on the Avenue of the Americas and 51st Street.[13]

He died in his bed at midnight at his beloved Menemsha Inn cottage known as the "Pilot House" at age 96[2]
in the company of his sister-in-law, Lucille Kaye,[14] and a friend, William E. Marks.[15]

He was buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Flushing, Queens.[16]

Notable Eisenstaedt photographs

V-J day in Times Square

Main article: V-J Day in Times Square

Eisenstaedt's most famous photograph is of an American sailor grabbing and kissing a stranger—a young
woman—on August 14, 1945, in Times Square. He took this photograph using a Leica IIIa. (The photograph
is known under various names: V-J Day in Times Square, V-Day, and others.[17][18]) Because Eisenstaedt
was photographing rapidly changing events during the V-J Day celebrations, he stated that he did not get a
chance to obtain names and details, which has encouraged a number of mutually incompatible claims to the
identities of the subjects.[19] Their identities turned out to be George Mendonsa (1923–2019) and Greta
Zimmer Friedman (1924–2016).[20]

Portraits of Sophia Loren

The portraits of Sophia Loren have been described by Marianne Fulton of The Digital Journalist as
conveying mischievousness, dignity, and love on the part of both Eisenstaedt and Loren.[21]

Ice Skating Waiter, St. Moritz

This 1932 photograph depicts a waiter at the ice rink of the Grand Hotel. "I did one smashing picture",
Eisenstaedt wrote, "of the skating headwaiter. To be sure the picture was sharp, I put a chair on the ice and
asked the waiter to skate by it. I had a Miroflex camera and focused on the chair."[22]

Children at a Puppet Theatre, Paris

Eisenstaedt took this photo in 1963 at the Tuileries Garden. He later recalled in his self-portrait, "It took a
long time to get the angle I liked. There are some close-ups of the children that are good. But the best
picture is the one I took at the climax of the action. It carries all the excitement of the children screaming,
'The dragon is slain!' ".[23] The photo sold in Lot #91 at Sotheby's in 2006 for an artist-record price of
$55,200.[24][25]

Awards and recognition

1989: National Medal of Arts. Awarded by President George H. W. Bush in a ceremony on the White House
lawn.[26]

1999: The Digital Journalist chose Alfred Eisenstaedt as its 'Photojournalist of the Century'. Dirck
Halstead wrote, "When it came to choosing the one photojournalist who had the most profound impact,
and who leaves the greatest legacy, there was no question whom that person is – Alfred Eisenstaedt."[27]

2020: Eisenstaedt was posthumously inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and
Museum.[28]

Exhibitions

Alfred Eisenstaedt: 'Eisie' at 88, International Center of Photography, New York City, 1986. A
retrospective.[10]

Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Photography

Since 1998, the Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Photography have been administered by Columbia
University Graduate School of Journalism.[29]

See also

Notable contributors to Life

List of German photojournalists

Erich Salomon (influence)

References

1. ^ Hudson, Berkley (2009). Sterling, Christopher H.

15. ^ "Vineyard Time with Eisie" , The Digital Journalist
(ed.). Encyclopedia of Journalism . Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE. pp. 1060 –1067. ISBN 978-0-7619- 16. ^ Hagen, Charles (August 25, 1995). "Alfred
2957-4. Eisenstaedt, Photographer of the Defining Moment,
Is Dead at 96" . New York Times. Retrieved April 17,
2. ^ a b c d "Alfred Eisenstaedt, Photographer of the
2016.
Defining Moment, Is Dead at 96" . The New York
Times. August 25, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2007. 17. ^ "V-J Day in Times Square". The Photo Book.
London: Phaeton. 2000. p. 134. ISBN 0-7148-3937-
3. ^ Zone, Ray (2007). "Alfred Eisenstaedt" .
X.
4. ^ Loengard, John (1998). Life photographers : what
18. ^ "V–Day". Twentieth Century Photography: Museum
they saw . Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown. p. 13 .
Ludwig Cologne. Cologne: Taschen. 2005. pp. 148–
ISBN 0-8212-2518-9.
149. ISBN 3-8228-4083-1.
5. ^ a b c d e "Speaking of Pictures: Eisenstaedt has a
19. ^ Franklin, Kelly, Project Delta Dawn: time to wake up
15th Anniversary". Life. September 4, 1944. p. 13.
to the facts of Life , Project Delta Dawn, accessed
6. ^ Behind the Picture: Joseph Goebbels Glares at the January 26, 2022
Camera, Geneva .
20. ^ "The Woman in the Iconic V-J Day Kiss Photo Died
7. ^ Pankhurst, Richard; Gérard, Denis (1996). Ethiopia at 92, Here's Her Story" .
Photographed: Historic Photographs of the Country
21. ^ "For Love of Eisie by Marianne Fulton" .
and its People Taken Between 1867 and 1935.
digitaljournalist.org. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
London: Kegan Paul International. p. 34.
ISBN 9780710305046. 22. ^ Alfred Eisentaedt – BBC Masters Photographers
(1983).
8. ^ a b Cement, James, ed. (2007). The Home Front
Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 585. 23. ^ Eisenstaedt, Alfred (January 1, 1985). Eisenstaedt
on Eisenstaedt: a self-portrait. British Broadcasting
9. ^ a b c Morgan, Ann Lee, ed. (2007). The Oxford
Corporation. p. 105. ISBN 0563202637.
Dictionary of American Art and Artists . Oxford
University Press. pp. 144 –145. ISBN 978-0-19- 24. ^ "(#91) Alfred Eisenstaedt 1989-1995" .
512878-9. sothebys.com. Retrieved March 23, 2022.

10. ^ a b c d e f g h i New York Magazine . New York 25. ^ "Alfred Eisenstaedt" . mutualart.com. Retrieved
Media, LLC. September 15, 1986. pp. 80–81–82–85. March 23, 2022.

11. ^ a b Marter, Joan M., ed. (2011). The Grove 26. ^ Lifetime Honors – National Medal of Arts
Encyclopedia of American Art. Vol. I. Oxford Archived July 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
University Press. p. 156.
27. ^ "Why We Chose Alfred Eisenstaedt as
12. ^ "Star Tracks" . People. September 13, 1993. "Photojournalist of the Century" " .
Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. digitaljournalist.org. Retrieved March 23, 2022.

13. ^ Grundberg, Andy (November 12, 1988). "Alfred 28. ^ "Alfred Eisenstaedt" . International Photography
Eisenstaedt, 90: The Image of Activity" . The New Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2007.
29. ^ Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards Established at
14. ^ Meras, Phyllis (August 20, 2012). "Lulu Kaye Was Columbia, 11 November 1997
Keeper of Eisie Flame" . Vineyard Gazette.

External links

Eisenstaedt biography Wikimedia Commons has

media related to Alfred
Eisenstaedt.

Last edited on 22 December 2023, at 13:13

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