Alfred Eisenstaedt
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995)Children at a Puppet Theatre, Paris, 1963Gelatin silver, 199013-7/8 x 20-7...
Auction amount: $25,000.00
Sold: Apr 17, 2016
Alfred Eisenstaedt
Photography
Nationality: American
Birth Place: Germany (Europe)
Biography:
Born in 1898, Eisenstaedt and his family moved to Berlin when he was just a little boy. He began taking photographs as a young teenager. After serving with the German army during World War I, he returned to freelance photography, eventually working for the Associated Press in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Eisenstaedt’s work for the AP allowed him to interact with many important political people of the day. In fact, he took pictures of both Hitler and Mussolini in the years prior to World War II. But the rise of the Nazi party in his home country bode ill for Eisenstaedt and his family since they were Jewish. Sensing the danger, they immigrated to New York in 1935, and Eisenstaedt became a U.S. citizen the very next year.
His photographic work from Germany was respected enough to help him land a position as one of the first staff photographers for the then new Life magazine. He would remain with Life for over 35 years, becoming a famous photo-journalist and contributing over 90 cover pictures for the well-loved journal, as well as countless other photos on the inside pages. One of his best known pictures, often called "V-J Day in Times Square" shows a jubilant sailor kissing a nurse with great abandon. The photo was taken during the New York celebration of the Allied victory over Japan, a victory which brought an end to WWII. It became an iconic photograph for the era.
Eisenstaedt was known for his brilliant use of natural lighting, his ability to capture candid action shots, and his work with smaller cameras than cameras that many other photographers of his day used. He often took photos with a 35 mm Leica camera. His focus and speed enabled him to take some truly memorable pictures.
Besides the V-J photograph, other well-known photographs taken by Eisenstaedt include portraits of actresses Sophia Loren, Bette Davis and Marilyn Monroe, pictures of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American author Ernest Hemingway, and a photo of an ice-skating waiter taken at the Grand Hotel in St. Moritz in 1932. The ground-breaking work he did with Life magazine has earned him the name "father of photojournalism."
Alfred Eisenstaedt Original Art Values Sold at Auction
Item | Realized | |
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) Children at a Puppet Theatre, Paris, 1963 Gelatin silver, 1990 13-7/8 x 20-7... Lot 73296 Auction 5253 Sunday, April 17, 2016 |
$25,000.00 | |
ALFRED EISENSTAEDT (American, 1898-1995) Children at a Puppet Theater, Paris, 1963 Gelatin silver, 1989 13-3/4 x 20-3... Lot 74074 Auction 5119 Saturday, November 17, 2012 |
$17,500.00 | |
ALFRED EISENSTAEDT (American, 1898-1995) V.J. Day, Times Square, New York City, 1945 Gelatin silver, 1991 17-1/2 x 11... Lot 74040 Auction 5037 Wednesday, June 9, 2010 |
$15,535.00 | |
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) Hurricane in the Atlantic, S.S. Queen Elizabeth starboard, 1948 Gelatin silve... Lot 13060 Auction 191750 Wednesday, December 13, 2017 |
$1,375.00 | |
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) Repairing the hull of the Graf Zeppelin during the flight over the Atlantic, 1... Lot 73130 Auction 5328 Wednesday, October 11, 2017 |
$3,750.00 |
View prices realized on more items like this
PLEASE NOTE: All prices realized reflect the final hammer price PLUS the buyer's premium in auctions that charge a buyer's premium. Each item has a notation at the top of the listing indicating whether that lot included a buyer's premium. All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. Please use this guide carefully and inform us of any inaccuracies.
Buy Alfred Eisenstaedt
Item | Current Bid or Price | |
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) Meeting of Poets Academy, Berlin, 1931 Gelatin silver, printed later 9-7/8 x... (1) Auction 5358 Tuesday, June 5, 2018 |
Preview | |
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) Athletics Teachers on the Island of Hiddensee near Rügen, 1931 Gelatin silver... (1) Auction 5358 Tuesday, June 5, 2018 |
Preview | |
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) Piano virtuoso Edwin Fischer, Berlin, 1932 Gelatin silver, printed later 9-3... (1) Auction 5358 Tuesday, June 5, 2018 |
Preview | |
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) The Bunker where Hitler Died, seen from Otto Grotewohl Strasse, East Berlin, Sep... (1) Auction 5358 Tuesday, June 5, 2018 |
Preview | |
Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) Marlene Dietrich, Pierre Ball, Berlin, 1928 Gelatin silver, 1979 7 x 9 inche... (1) Auction 5358 Tuesday, June 5, 2018 |
Preview |
View other current items from this artist
Art Values
How do you know what's valuable?
Our Art Value Guide provides free information about how to value your Alfred Eisenstaedt artwork.
Get a FREE auction evaluation
Our experts will evaluate your Alfred Eisenstaedt artwork for auction or private treaty sale.
Want More Alfred Eisenstaedt?
Be the first to know when more items from this artist are available by adding it your wantlist.
Interested in selling or consigning?
Learn more about selling or consigning your Alfred Eisenstaedt artwork with Heritage Auctions.