Philippe Halsman
I know I have said it in the past but the information on the internet is amazing. Last night I decided that I was going to feature an iconic image from the 1940’s. Most of these images are of the war or related to it but then I found this photograph. Philippe Halsman wanted to create a photograph that related to the new atomic age and Salvador Dali’s surrealist paintings.
Philippe was born in the early 1900’s in Latvia. He lived a privileged life traveling and spending time in the great museums. He found a camera in his teens and fell in love with capturing the expressions of individuals. World War II arrived. Most of his family left for the USA, while he waited. Luckily, he had been in communication with Albert Einstein. Albert talked with Eleanor Roosevelt to add this artists name to a list of artists and writers who could enter the United States. Arriving in North America, was a challenge for this photographer. Gone were his connections but he did speak 5 languages. Connie Ford was just beginning to model. Through his photographs of her, he gained recognition for his skills with the camera and capturing unique compositions. Many of his images were used for book covers. What an amazing find….. on the internet! Love learning something new.
