Eye to I: The Autobiography of a Photographer

392 Pages·1999·44.62 MB·English

by  Erwin Blumenfeld

MARINCOUNTYFREELIBRARY
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Erwin Blun

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Blumenfeld, Erwin
Eye to I the
:
autobiography of a
photographer
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DATE DUE
EP 211999
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Digitized by the Internet Archive
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http://www.archive.org/details/eyetoiautobiograOOblum
EYE
to
I

EYE
to
I
The Autobiography of a Photographer
Erwin Blumenfeld
Translated by
Mike Mitchell and Brian Murdoch
with 70 illustrations
THAMES AND HUDSON
Titlepage:Self-portraitwith wifeLena,daughterLisette
(inmirror),andson Henry(belowright). Zandvoort,c. 1930.
Thistranslation hy Mike Mitchell and Brian Murdoch is from the
German Durch taiisendjahrigeLett (first published in 1976). They
benefited from an unpublisheddrafttranslationof Blumenfeld's
manuscript by Nora Hodges,to whom they and the publishersextend
graciousacknowledgment.
The 1998editionpublished by Eichborn Vcrlag,Ciermany,carries
Blumenfeld'sown choiceof title, Einhildungsroman.
Anycopyofthisbookissued bythepublisherasa paperback
issold subjecttothecondition that itshall notby wayoftrade
orotherwise belent, resold,hiredoutorotherwisecirculated
withoutthepublisher'spriorconsentin any form of binding
orcoverotherthan thatin which itispublished and without
asimilarcondition includingthesewordsbeingimposed
on a subsequentpurchaser.
© 1999Thamesand Hudson Ltd, London
First published in hardcoverinthe United Statesof America
in 1999 by Thamesand Hudson Inc.,500Fifth Avenue,
New York, New York 10110
Libraryof CongressCatalogCard Number98-75140
ISBN0-500-01907-X
All RightsReserved. Nopartofthispublication may
be reproducedortransmitted in any formor by any means,
electronicor mechanical, includingphotocopy, recording
orany otherinformationstorageand retrieval system,
without priorpermission in writingfrom thepublisher.
Designed by Maggi Smith
Printed and bound in Slovenia
CONTENTS
PARTI 7 PART2 97
1 PrknatalEducation 9 22 L'Education sentimentale 99
2 TheMedicineMan 11 23 Kitty-CAT 104
3 Delivery 13 24 TheArts 108
4 Epitaphs 15 25 Music 109
5 Nominasuntomina 16 26 Theatre 114
6 Mama 17 27 TheMirror 115
7 Papa 22 28 PoetryandProse 120
8 ParentalDreams 28 29 Barmitzvah 122
9 Grandpapa Mosesand 30 TheJoysofDiscovery 125
Grandmama Lisette 29 31 My Olympians 129
10 GrandpapaHenry 31 32 TheTurn oftheCentury 130
11 Heinz 33 33 Breakdown 134
12 Annie 35 34 M&S 137
13 Children'sGames 37 35 Papa'sEnd 142
14 Fears 40 36 Princip(le) 148
15 TaboosandTotems 46 37 TheFutureLooksBlack
16 IWAN 53 forThirteen 151
17 140Wilhelmstrasse 54 38 War Breaks Out 157
18 GieritztheClockmaker 59 39 Leentje 164
19 School 60 40 A Hero's Life 165
20 JadisetDaguerre 71 41 Jadisftla Guerre 169
21 My BestFriend 73 42 La petite villedeVerrieres 180
43 Lucille 182 58 My MostHandsomeModel 287
44 FieldBrothel Number209 183 59 Downhill 294
45 SomeBordello-Ballads 60 Loriol 302
fromthe rue desjuifs 188 61 LeVernetd'Ariege 306
46 Flanders 189 62 Catus 316
47 Forced March 196 63 TheThree Horsemen
48 On Leave 197 OFTHEApocalypse 318
49 PeaceWithoutHonour 213 64 HowTOGetYour
American Visa 321
PART3 219 65 TheMontViso 324
50 Holland 221 66 BlumenfeldStudioInc. 353
67 Adaile 356
51 MiSERENOIRE 252
68 WestwardHo! 366
52 Paris 254
69 O'HoLE 367
53 La BelleHelaine
-avantetapres 259 70 Retake 372
54 TheTaleofGrimm
theBeautiful 263 Postscript 373
55 En Vogue 266 Chronology 376
56 MadeIt! 272 Biographicalnotes 380
57 Exodus 281 Index 383