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Nickolas Muray, 1892-1965
In 1913, Nickolas Muray left his native Hungary to escape anti-Semitism and arrived at Ellis Island, feeling hopeful about his future. By the 1920s, he had mastered English and was sought after as a photographer of celebrities. A charming and hand- some man, he met his greatest subject, the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in 1931, and they were lovers for a decade. He was also a champion fencer at this time and competed in the 1932 Olympics. During the lean years of the Great Depression, Muray focused on commercial and advertising work, and developed his skills in color photography. He rapidly mastered the new three-color process, and soon his vibrant images were regular features in popular publications, such as Ladies Home Journal and McCall's. Here, Muray poses with his one-shot color-separation camera. Using this camera, he could simultaneously expose three plates through three separate filters to make the color separations needed for color-carbro prints and color reproductions.
Gelatin silver print, c 1935 |