Halsman, Philippe

Philippe Halsman was born in Riga, Latvia in 1901. He opened a photography studio in Paris in 1931. He left occupied France for the United States in 1940. Halsman was a founding member (1945) and first president of the American Society of Media Photographers, Inc. Halsman is best known for his portraits of famous individuals, such as Salvador Dali, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. His thirty year affiliation with Life magazine resulted in 101 covers. His photographs have been published in numerous books and magazines. Two of his photographs were made into postage stamps. Halsman died in 1979.

Philippe Halsman, a photographer, had a studio in New York City. He is credited with 101 covers for Life magazine.

Halsman, Philippe. American Photographer. Born: Riga, Latvia, 2 May 1906; emigrated to the United States, 1940: naturalized, 1949. Education: Vidus Skola, Riga, 1922-24, B.A. 1924; studied electrical engineering, Technische Hochschule, Dresden, Germany, 1924-28; studied at the Sorbonne, Paris, 1931; self-taught in photography. Family: Married Yvonne Moser in 1937; children: Irene Alene and Jane Ellen. Career: Worked as part-time freelance photographer, mainly for Ullstein publishing house in Berlin, while still a student, 1924-28; then moved to Paris; freelance portrait and fashion photographer with own studio in Paris working for Vogue, Vu, Voila, etc., 1931-40; freelance photographer, New York, working for Life, Saturday Evening Post, Look, etc., 1941-79. Instructor, Famous Photographers School, Westport, Connecticut, 1969-79. President, American Society of Magazine Photographers, New York, 1944, 1954. Recipient: 10 Greatest Photographers Award, Popular Photography, New York, 1958; Newhouse Award, 1963; Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement, 1967; Life Achievement Award, American Society of Magazine Photographers, 1975. Died: (in New York) 25 June 1979.

Latvian-born photographer who emigrated to New York in 1940; photographer for Life magazine, best known for portraits, especially his "Jump" series.

Philippe Halsman was born May 2, 1906, in Riga, Latvia. As a teenager, Halsman began taking photographs and developing the glass plate negatives in his bathroom sink. Twice escaping anti-Semitism, Halsman finally settled in New York City in 1940, where he remained until his death. Halsman married fellow photographer Yvonne Moser who became his lifelong photographic and darkroom assistant. A collaboration with Salvador Dali spanning 30 years resulted in the publication of a book entitled, "Dali's Moustache", featuring Halsman photographs emulating Dali's surrealist style. LIFE magazine first published one of Halsman's photographs on the cover on October 5, 1942. Halsman would go on to produce 100 more covers for LIFE, more than any other photographer. He shot photographs for many other magazines as well, and shot ad photography, including work for Ford Motor Company. One of Halsman's most recognizable tricks, coined "jumpology", was an accidental discovery, put to use when he was out of ideas trying to make a Ford family portrait gel. Jumpology forced Halsman's staunchest subjects to let their guard down, rendering the images lively and vibrant. The list of Philippe Halsman's accomplishments are many; some of the most notable include: publishing numerous books, founding the Famous Photographers School with nine others, being chosen by Popular Photography readers as one of the World's Ten Greatest Photographers, exhibiting at the Smithsonian Photography Gallery, having his photograph of Albert Einstein used on a U.S. postage stamp, teaching at the New School, and receiving the American Society of Magazine Photographers Life Achievement in Photography Award in 1975. Philippe Halsman died in New York City on June 25, 1979.

Philippe Halsman was born in Riga, Latvia in 1901. He opened a photography studio in Paris in 1931. He left occupied France for the United States in 1940. Halsman was a founding member and first president of the American Society of Media Photographers, Inc. in 1945. Halsman is best known for his portraits of famous individuals, such as Salador Dali, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. His 30 year affiliation with Life magazine resulted in 101 covers. His photographs have been published in numerous books and magazines. Two of his photographs were made into postage stamps. Halsman died in 1979.

Philippe Halsman, photographer, had a studio in New York City.

He is credited with 101 covers for LIFE magazine.