Alfred Eisenstadt Life Magazine Photographer by Jim Sigmon Iconic 1993 Photo For Sale
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Alfred Eisenstadt Life Magazine Photographer by Jim Sigmon Iconic 1993 Photo:
$32.00
A RARE CLASSIC ICONICPRESS PHOTOGRAPHOF ALFRED EISENSTADT, FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER,SEATED WITH HIS CLASSIC GRIN AND SMILE. PHOTOGRAPHED AND PRINTED CIRCA 1992/1993. PRINTED ON RESIN-COATED (RC) PAPER.TOTAL MEASUREMENTS ARE APPROXIMATELY 8" BY 10".EXCELLENT OR BETTER CONDITION, A FEW VERY FAINT HANDLING MARKS - PLEASE REVIEW SCANS! EXCEPTIONAL SUBJECT MATTER!
PLEASE SEE MY ADDITIONAL LISTINGS FOR MORE EXCEPTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY!
ALL NON-USA RESIDENTS: SHIPPING IS $18.00 BY STANDARD INTERNATIONAL MAIL FOR FLAT ENVELOPES ONLY. PACKAGE POSTAL FEES ARE DETERMINED BY THE PACKAGE'S SIZE AND WEIGHT. PLEASE KNOW A CUSTOMS DECLARATION IS REQUIRED ON ALL INTERNATIONAL PACKAGES. INSURED PACKAGES MUST BE SENT PARCEL POST AND THE FEE IS $50.00 PLUS THE INSURANCE FEE.WINNING buyers ACCEPT ALL SHIPPING RISKS FOR UNINSURED INTERNATIONALPACKAGES. WINNING buyers WILL RECEIVE AN INVOICE OR PERSONALEMAIL FROM ME AFTER THE sale CLOSES REGARDING PAYMENT AND SHIPPINGDETAILS. PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM OBLIGATED UNDER U. S. LAW TO DECLARE THEFULL VALUE OF A PACKAGE SHIPPED OUT OF THE UNITED STATES. PLEASE DO NOTASK ME TO BREAK THE LAW AND DO OTHERWISE.
ALL USA RESIDENTS: PAYMENT MUST BE MADE WITHIN THREE DAYS BY PAYPAL. ANY OTHER ARRANGEMENTS MUST BE MADE WITH ME WELL IN ADVANCE! NO EXCEPTIONS! CONNECTICUTRESIDENTS ARE SUBJECT TO 6.35% SALES TAX. UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED SHIPPING IS $ 8.00IN THE UNITED STATES BY PRIORITY MAIL WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION. ICAN COMBINE SHIPPING ON MULTIPLE PURCHASES CLOSING THE SAME WEEK.
FOR COMBINED SHIPPING, YOU MUST WAIT FOR MY INVOICE!!!
Dirschau,West Prussia,German Empire(nowTczew, Poland)Died23 August 1995(aged96)
Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, USOccupationPhotojournalism
Alfred Eisenstaedt(December 6, 1898 – August 23, 1995) was a German-born American photographer and photojournalist. He began his career in Germany prior toWorld War IIbut achieved prominence as a staff photographer forLifemagazine after moving to the U.S.Lifefeatured 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 wasV-J Day in Times Square, taken during theV-J Daycelebration 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 35mmLeica camera, typically with natural lighting.[2]
ContentsEarly life[edit]Eisenstaedt was born inDirschau (Tczew)inWest Prussia,Imperial Germanyin 1898.[3]His family wasJewishand moved toBerlinin 1906. Eisenstaedt was fascinated by photography from his youth and began taking pictures at age 11 when he was given his first camera, anEastman KodakFolding Camera[4]withroll film. He later served in theGerman Army'sartilleryduringWorld War Iand was wounded in 1918. While working as a belt and buttonsalesmanin the 1920s inWeimar Germany, Eisenstaedt began taking photographs as afreelancerfor the Pacific and Atlantic Photos' Berlin office in 1928. The office was taken over by theAssociated Pressin 1931.
Professional photographer[edit]Eisenstaedt became a full-time photographer in 1929 when he was hired by theAssociated Pressoffice in Germany, and within a year he was described as a "photographer extraordinaire."[5]He also worked forIllustrierte Zeitung, published byUllstein Verlag, then the world's largestpublishing house.[5]Four years later he photographed the famous first meeting betweenAdolf HitlerandBenito MussoliniinItaly. Other notable early pictures by Eisenstaedt include his depiction of awaiterat the ice rink of the Grand Hotel inSt. Moritzin 1932 andJoseph Goebbelsat theLeague of NationsinGenevain 1933. Although initially friendly, Goebbels scowled at Eisenstaedt when he took the photograph, after learning that Eisenstaedt was Jewish.[6]
In 1935,FascistItaly's impendinginvasion of Ethiopialed to a burst of international interest inEthiopia. While working forBerliner Illustrierte Zeitung, Alfred took over 3,500 photographs in Ethiopia, before emigrating to theUnited States, where he joinedLifemagazine, but returned in the following year to Ethiopia to continue his photography.[7]
Eisenstaedt's family was Jewish.Oppressionin Hitler'sNazi Germanycaused them toemigrateto the U.S.[8]They arrived in 1935 and settled inNew York, where he subsequently became anaturalized citizen,[9]and joined fellowAssociated Pressémigrés Leon Daniel and Celia Kutschuk in theirPIX Publishingphoto agency founded that year. The following year, 1936,TimefounderHenry LuceboughtLifemagazine, 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, includingMargaret Bourke-WhiteandRobert Capa.[8]He remained a staff photographer from 1936 to 1972, achieving notability for hisphotojournalismof news events and celebrities.[2]
Along with entertainers and celebrities, he photographed politicians, philosophers, artists, industrialists, and authors during his career withLife. By 1972 he had photographed nearly 2,500 stories and had more than 90 of his photos on the cover.[10]WithLife'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 bestLifephotographers."[11]In subsequent years, he also worked forHarper's Bazaar,Vogue,Town & Countryand others.[11]
Style and technique[edit]From his early years as professional photographer he became an enthusiast for small35 mm filmcameras, especially theLeica camera. Unlike most news photographers at the time who relied on much larger and less portable 4"×5"press cameraswith flash attachments, Eisenstaedt preferred the smaller hand-held Leica, which gave him greater speed and more flexibility when shooting news events or capturingcandidsof people in action.[9]His photos were also notable as a result of his typical use ofnatural lightas opposed to relying onflash lighting.[9]In 1944,Lifedescribed him as the "dean of today's miniature-camera experts."[5]
At the time, this style ofphotojournalism, 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 shooting 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 shooting informal, unposed portraits, along with extended picture stories. As a result,Lifebegan using more such photo stories, with the magazine becoming a recognized source of such photojournalism of the world's luminaries.[10]OfLife'sphotographers, 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 Churchilltold him where to place the camera to get a good picture,[10]and during aphoto shootofErnest Hemingwayin his boat, Hemingway, in a rage, tore his own shirt to shreds and threatened to throw Eisenstaedt overboard.[10]
Martha's Vineyard[edit]Eisenstaedt photographing the Clinton family on Martha's Vineyard.Eisenstaedt, known as "Eisie" to his close friends, enjoyed his annual August vacations on the island ofMartha's Vineyardfor 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 photogeniclighthousesand was the focus of lighthouse fundraisers organized by Vineyard Environmental Research Institute (VERI).
Two years before his death, Eisenstaedt photographed PresidentBill Clintonwith wifeHillaryand daughterChelsea. The session took place at the Granary Gallery inWest Tisburyon Martha's Vineyard and was documented by a photograph published inPeoplemagazine on September 13, 1993.[12]
Personal life and death[edit]After first settling in New York City in 1935, Eisenstaedt lived inJackson Heights, Queens, New York, for the rest of his life. Until shortly before his death, he would walk daily from his home to hisLifeoffice on theAvenue of the Americasand51st 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 (LuLu),[14]and friend, William E. Marks.[15]
Notable Eisenstaedt photos[edit]- 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, inTimes 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.[16][17]) Because Eisenstaedt was photographing rapidly changing events during theV-J Daycelebrations, he stated that he did not get a chance to obtain names and details, which has encouraged a number of mutuallyincompatible claimsto the identities of the subjects. Their identities turned out to be George Mendonsa (1923–2019) andGreta Zimmer Friedman(1924–2016).[18]
- Portraits of Sophia Loren
The portraits ofSophia Lorenhave been described[by whom?]as conveying mischievousness, dignity, and love on the part of both Eisenstaedt and Loren.
- 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."[19]