Dora Kallmus
Encyclopedia
Dora Kallmus was an Austrian
-Jewish fashion and portrait photographer who went by the name of "Madame D'Ora".
's studio in Berlin, where she became friends with his assistant Arthur Benda.
In 1907 she opened a photography studio with Benda in Vienna
called the Benda-D'Ora Studio. The name was based on the pseudonym "Madame d'Ora", which she used professionally throughout the rest of her life. She was popular among the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy, and their gallery was so popular that they opened another studio in Paris in 1924. Three years later she left Vienna for Paris and worked there for many years. In Paris, she became internationally known for her society and fashion photography during the 1930s and 1940s. Her subjects included Josephine Baker
, Tamara de Lempicka
, Alban Berg
, Niddy Impekoven, Maurice Chevalier
, Colette
, and other dancers, actors, painters, and writers.
When the Germans invaded France she fled to a convent in the countryside. She returned to Paris in late 1946 and reopened the studio.
In 1959 she was involved in a serious traffic accident that left her an invalid. She died in Frohnleiten, Steiermark, Austria, in 1963.
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
-Jewish fashion and portrait photographer who went by the name of "Madame D'Ora".
Life
Born Dora Philippine Kallmus in Vienna in 1881, she came from a respected family of Jewish lawyers. In 1905 she was the first woman to be admitted to theory courses at the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt (Graphic Training Institute). That same year she became a member of the Vienna Photographic Society. She trained at Nicola PerscheidNicola Perscheid
Nicola Perscheid was a German photographer. He is primarily known for his artistic portrait photography. He developed the "Perscheid lens", a soft focus lens for large-format portrait photography....
's studio in Berlin, where she became friends with his assistant Arthur Benda.
In 1907 she opened a photography studio with Benda in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
called the Benda-D'Ora Studio. The name was based on the pseudonym "Madame d'Ora", which she used professionally throughout the rest of her life. She was popular among the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy, and their gallery was so popular that they opened another studio in Paris in 1924. Three years later she left Vienna for Paris and worked there for many years. In Paris, she became internationally known for her society and fashion photography during the 1930s and 1940s. Her subjects included Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. She was given such nicknames as the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and the "Créole Goddess"....
, Tamara de Lempicka
Tamara de Lempicka
Tamara de Lempicka , born Maria Górska in Moscow, in the Russian Empire, was a Polish Art Deco painter and "the first woman artist to be a glamour star."- Early life :...
, Alban Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
, Niddy Impekoven, Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
, Colette
Colette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...
, and other dancers, actors, painters, and writers.
When the Germans invaded France she fled to a convent in the countryside. She returned to Paris in late 1946 and reopened the studio.
In 1959 she was involved in a serious traffic accident that left her an invalid. She died in Frohnleiten, Steiermark, Austria, in 1963.
Further reading
- Faber, Monica. Madame d'Ora: Vienna and Paris, 1907-1957, the Photography of Dora Kallmus. Vassar College (1987). ISBN 9780916663025.
External links
- Photographer - D'Ora, Luminous-Lint.com.