Erwin Blumenfeld
Germany (1897—1969)Born in Berlin in 1897, Blumenfeld received his first camera at an early age. Although he never received formal training in photography, he apprenticed with the dressmakers Schlochauer and Mose. In 1923, he moved to Amsterdam and, together with Paul Citroen, founded Holland Dadacentrale. He established the Fox Leather Company and began photographing female customers. Three years later, he declared bankruptcy and left for Paris, where he secured a contract with Vogue. During the Second World War, he was imprisoned but managed to reach New York in 1941. There, he worked for Harper’s Bazaar, Life and Flair, as well as for Helena Rubinstein, L’Oreal and Elizabeth Arden. He died in Rome in 1969.
