Erwin Blumenfeld
Germany (1897—1969)
Born in Berlin in 1897, Blumenfeld received his first camera at early age. Although he never received formal training, he had his apprenticeship with dressmaker Schlochauer and Mose. In 1923 he moved to Amsterdam and together with Paul Citroen he found Holland Dadacentrale. He set up Fox Leather Company and started to photograph female customers. Three years later he declared bankrupt and left for Paris and got a contract with Vogue. During WWII he was imprisoned but managed to reach New York in 1941: he worked for Harper’s Bazaar, Life and Flair and for Helena Rubinstein, L’Oreal and Elizabeth Arden. He died in Rome in 1969.
