History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. ~Winston Churchill

08 June, 2011

The Wonder of Alfred Eisenstaedt

I can't say enough about the photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. I would count so many of his photographs among the best ever taken-- and on so many subjects. He is rightly renowned as a photojournalist, capturing just the right moments-- that famous photo of the sailor kissing a girl on VJ day (see this post) is his, as are this set of wartime goodbyes at Penn Station. But he is also a master of architectural photography both the simple and the abstract, of compositions, of moments glimpsed, of masterful portraiture. He worked for much of his career for LIFE magazine, and so many of his best photographs are a part of their archive (which I've praised before!). 

But, enough talking. We'll explore more of his work, but here are just a few examples of the variety and genius of Alfred Eisenstaedt. 



Monks walking along the river Arno, Florence, Italy, 1935. Source




Detail of the food building at the World's Fair in New York, 1939. Source




Parisian children on a merry-go-round, 1963. Source




Italian officer on a sled in the Italian Alps, 1934. Source





A speeding steam train, Georgia USA, 1938. Source




The Brooklyn Bridge, NYC, 1983. Source




An illuminated St. Peter's Bascilia in the Vatican, 1934. Source




Another building detail from the 1939 World's Fair, NYC. Source



Frank Lloyd Wright working at his home Taliesin in Wisconsin, 1956. Source




A view of Manhatten, c. 1939. Source




Waiters learning to serve cocktails on skates at the Grand Hotel, St. Mortiz, Switzerland, 1931. Source




Multnomah Falls, Oregon, 1938. Source

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