Alfred Eisenstaedt
With a Leica and an intuitive eye, he captured the defining moments and faces of the 20th century, creating some of its most enduring photographs.
1898–1995 (age 97)·German-born American photojournalist·Birthday: December 6·The Lost Generation
Biography
Alfred Eisenstaedt began his career in Weimar Germany, selling a photograph of a woman tennis player in 1927 and soon becoming a successful photojournalist. Fleeing the Nazis in 1935, he brought his talent to America, where he became one of the first four staff photographers for the new Life magazine. Eisenstaedt's genius lay in his ability to disappear into a scene, using natural light and small cameras to capture unguarded, narrative moments. Over nearly four decades, he produced over 2,500 picture stories and 90 covers for Life, from the solemnity of a Hitler-Mussolini meeting to the pure joy of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day. He photographed everyone from Einstein to Marilyn Monroe, not as distant icons, but as human beings, defining the very practice of modern photojournalism.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Alfred was born in 1898, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alfred Was Born
The biggest hits of 1898
Alfred's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1898Born
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1903Started school
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Became a teenager
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Could drive
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1916Could vote
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1919Turned 21
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 30
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 40
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 50
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 60
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 70
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 80
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1995Died at 97
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
Key Achievements
- Took the iconic photograph 'V-J Day in Times Square', capturing an American sailor kissing a nurse in a spontaneous celebration.
- Was one of the four original staff photographers for Life magazine, contributing for nearly 40 years.
- Photographed 90 covers for Life magazine, a record for any photographer at the publication.
- Captured a famous portrait of a scowling Joseph Goebbels at the League of Nations in 1933, revealing the Nazi's malevolence.
Did You Know?
He was nicknamed 'Eisie' by his colleagues and subjects.
Eisenstaedt never used a light meter, relying entirely on his experience and intuition for exposure.
His first camera was an Eastman Kodak Folding Camera given to him at age 14.
He continued to actively shoot assignments well into his 90s.
““It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.””
