Lucien Aigner
Encyclopedia
Lucien Aigner was a Hungarian
photographer and pioneering photojournalist. He was born in Érsekújvár, Austria-Hungary
(now called Nové Zámky
in Slovakia
) and died in
Waltham, Massachusetts
.
Aigner's first camera. a Brownie
, was acquired at age nine and was used to photograph his family. By 1926, Aigner was a reporter for Az Est, the Hungarian newspaper group, and soon became a photographer with them. During this time, Aigner became a Leica user.
As the Paris
correspondent of the London General Press at the Stresa Conference of 1935, Aigner photographed Benito Mussolini
, who was about to sneeze as the picture was taken. The photo made the cover of Newsweek in 1940, and established Aigner as an important photojournalist. In 1941 he emigrated from France
to the United States
to escape Nazi
persecution.
Aigner then spent time at Princeton University
taking photographs of Albert Einstein
. The photos of Einstein are among Aigner's most famous, and were reportedly Einstein's favorite photos of himself.
Lucien Aigner was the older brother of fashionable leather-goods manufacturer Etienne Aigner
.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
photographer and pioneering photojournalist. He was born in Érsekújvár, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(now called Nové Zámky
Nové Zámky
Nové Zámky is a town in southwestern Slovakia.-Geography:The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 metres. It is located around 100 km from Bratislava and around 25 km from the Hungarian border. It is a road and railway hub of southern...
in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
) and died in
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
.
Aigner's first camera. a Brownie
Brownie (camera)
Brownie is the name of a long-running and extremely popular series of simple and inexpensive cameras made by Eastman Kodak. The Brownie popularized low-cost photography and introduced the concept of the snapshot. The first Brownie, introduced in February, 1900, was a very basic cardboard box camera...
, was acquired at age nine and was used to photograph his family. By 1926, Aigner was a reporter for Az Est, the Hungarian newspaper group, and soon became a photographer with them. During this time, Aigner became a Leica user.
As the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
correspondent of the London General Press at the Stresa Conference of 1935, Aigner photographed Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, who was about to sneeze as the picture was taken. The photo made the cover of Newsweek in 1940, and established Aigner as an important photojournalist. In 1941 he emigrated from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to escape Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
persecution.
Aigner then spent time at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
taking photographs of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
. The photos of Einstein are among Aigner's most famous, and were reportedly Einstein's favorite photos of himself.
Lucien Aigner was the older brother of fashionable leather-goods manufacturer Etienne Aigner
Etienne Aigner
Etienne Aigner AG is a high fashion house based in Munich, Germany, that specializes in luxury goods such as handbags, luggage, belts, wallets, leather accessories and so on...
.