Eisenstaedt, Alfred

Alfred Eisenstaedt, (born December 6, 1898, Dirschau, Prussia, German Empire [now Tczew, Poland]—died August 23, 1995, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, U.S.), pioneering German-born American photojournalist whose images, many of them for Life magazine, established him as one of the first and most important photojournalists.

Eisenstaedt served in the German army in World War I from 1916 to 1918, sustaining injuries in both legs. He became an enthusiastic amateur photographer, turned professional in 1929, and joined the lively photojournalism scene in Germany. During the 1920s and early ’30s he was especially influenced by Erich Salomon, a pioneer in documentary photography.

Eisenstaedt was particularly skilled in the use of the 35-mm Leica camera. His work, often created in this format, appeared in many European picture magazines by the early 1930s. He covered the rise of Adolf Hitler and in 1935 created a notable series of photographs of Ethiopia, just before the Italian invasion. That same year he immigrated to the United States, and in April 1936 he became one of the first four photographers hired by the new picture magazine Life. One of his images was published on the cover of the second issue, and he went on to become the leading Life photographer, eventually having some 2,500 photo-essays and 90 cover photos featured in the magazine.

Eisenstaedt photographed kings, dictators, and motion picture stars, but he also sensitively portrayed ordinary people in everyday situations. His aim, he once said, was “to find and catch the storytelling moment.” Anthologies of his photographs include Witness to Our Time (1966), People (1973), and Eisenstaedt: Germany (1981). He described his life and work in The Eye of Eisenstaedt (1969).