From Luxembourg to the New World
Edward Steichen (1879 - 1973)
Edward Steichen, born in Bivange (L) in 1879, was one of the most famous photographers of the 20th century. He emigrated to the United States with his mother, Marie Kemp, in 1881. At the age of 16, while an apprentice in a lithography workshop, the young man became interested not only in photography but also painting. He purchased his first camera in 1896 and participated in local and regional exhibitions in the United States. In 1900, he quit his job to go to Paris to study art, but he also exhibited in Europe and his work was noticed during an exhibition in London in autumn of the same year. He collaborated with Alfred Stieglitz on the creation of "Photo-Secession" and on the magazine "Camera Work". Steichen returned to New York in 1902 and opened his commercial photographic workshop on Fifth Avenue.
His work became more and more famous, and when the United States joined World War I, Steichen was posted in the photographic service of the army. Between the two World Wars, he worked for the magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair, specializing in fashion portraits. In 1947, he interrupted this career in order to direct the photography department of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. He organised, in 1955, the famous exhibition The Family of Man and, in 1962, The Bitter Years.
After the death of his second wife Dana in 1957, Edward married Joanna Taub in 1960. In 1962, he retired and wrote his biography, Steichen, a Life in Photography in 1963. Edward Steichen passed away on 25 March 1973 at the age of 94.
| Price of the stamps: | 1,20 € |
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| Design and Engraving: | Pierre Schopfer, La Chaux (CH) |
| Printing: | Combined engraving and photogravure by the Imprimerie du Timbre, LA POSTE, Malines (B) |
| Size: | 27.66 x 38.40 mm, 20 stamps per sheet |
Post eShop
Competition
PostEurop 2013
