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Philippe Halsman

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Photographer

The Resume

    (May 2, 1906-June 25, 1979)
    Born in Riga, Latvia
    Photographer for 'Vogue' and 'Life'
    Known for his portraits and photos of celebrities jumping
    Elected first president of the American Society of Magazine Photographers (1945)
    Photography collections include 'Dali's Mustache' (1954) and 'Philippe Halsman's Jump Book' (1959)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was accused of killing his father during a hiking vacation in the Tyrol, Austria (1928), and was convicted of manslaughter.
    Two factors in the guilty verdict were that he had made contradictory statements to the police about what had happened and his arrogant behavior in court which made a bad impression on the jury.
    He was pardoned by the President of Austria, but ordered to leave the country and never return (1930).
    He said that in photographing men he emphasized character, while emphasizing beauty for women, adding 'Only one time in my career did it happen that a blonde asked me, 'Please make me look more intelligent.' Unfortunately, it was impossible.'
    Some critics found his photos of jumping celebrities gimmicky.
    He claimed to have developed a philosophy of 'jumpology.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    Many observers felt that his conviction was based more on local anti-semitism than the evidence presented.
    Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Thomas Mann were among the notable figures who campaigned for his release.
    Einstein later helped him secure a visa to emigrate to America during WWII.
    His photos were used for the covers of a record 101 issues of 'Life.'
    In a 'Popular Photography' poll, he was named one of the ten greatest photographers (1958).
    He said about his jump photos, 'When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears.'
    The New York Times noted, 'There is a sublime silliness to Halsman's images that can make you laugh or at least smile regardless of how often you see them.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 66.67% Annoying