Tony Vaccaro
Encyclopedia
Tony Vaccaro also known as Michael A. Vaccaro, is an American
photographer who is best known for his photos taken in Europe during 1944 and 1945 and in Germany immediately after World War II
. After the war, he became a renowned fashion and lifestyle photographer for U.S. magazine
s.
Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
as the second child of three (and the only boy) of his parents, who were Italian
immigrants, he was baptized Michelantonio Celestino Onofrio Vaccaro. His father Giuseppe Antonio Vaccaro (b. October 14, 1874) was from Bonefro
in the region of Molise
in Italy. In 1926, the family moved back to Bonefro in Italy, where Tony spent his youth.
With the outbreak of World War II, Tony Vaccaro moved back to the United States in order to escape the Fascist regime and the military service in Italy. In the U.S., the seventeen-years old Vaccaro finished his education at the high school of New Rochelle, New York
. In 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Europe in 1944.
Vaccaro fought in 1944 and 1945 as a private in the 83rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in Normandy
and then in Germany
. His task as a scout
left him with enough free time during the day to shoot photos. By the end of the war in Europe, Vaccaro had become an official photographer for the division's newspaper. In September 1945, he was discharged from the army. Vaccaro stayed in Germany
, where he got a job first as a photographer for the U.S. authorities stationed at Frankfurt
, and then with Weekend, the Sunday supplement of the U.S. Army newspaper Stars and Stripes
. Until 1949, Vaccaro photographed throughout Germany and Europe, documenting post-war life.
After his return to the U.S. in 1949, he worked for Life
and Look
before joining the magazine Flair. Photographs from his extensive (despite some 4,000 pictures having been lost in an accident in 1948) wartime archive were published in 2001 in his book Entering Germany: Photographs 1944-1949. In 1994, he was awarded the French at the celebrations of the fifty-year anniversary of the Normandy landings
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer who is best known for his photos taken in Europe during 1944 and 1945 and in Germany immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, he became a renowned fashion and lifestyle photographer for U.S. magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s.
Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
as the second child of three (and the only boy) of his parents, who were Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
immigrants, he was baptized Michelantonio Celestino Onofrio Vaccaro. His father Giuseppe Antonio Vaccaro (b. October 14, 1874) was from Bonefro
Bonefro
Bonefro is a comune in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about 25 km northeast of Campobasso...
in the region of Molise
Molise
Molise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...
in Italy. In 1926, the family moved back to Bonefro in Italy, where Tony spent his youth.
With the outbreak of World War II, Tony Vaccaro moved back to the United States in order to escape the Fascist regime and the military service in Italy. In the U.S., the seventeen-years old Vaccaro finished his education at the high school of New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
. In 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Europe in 1944.
Vaccaro fought in 1944 and 1945 as a private in the 83rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
and then in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. His task as a scout
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
left him with enough free time during the day to shoot photos. By the end of the war in Europe, Vaccaro had become an official photographer for the division's newspaper. In September 1945, he was discharged from the army. Vaccaro stayed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he got a job first as a photographer for the U.S. authorities stationed at Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, and then with Weekend, the Sunday supplement of the U.S. Army newspaper Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
. Until 1949, Vaccaro photographed throughout Germany and Europe, documenting post-war life.
After his return to the U.S. in 1949, he worked for Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
and Look
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
before joining the magazine Flair. Photographs from his extensive (despite some 4,000 pictures having been lost in an accident in 1948) wartime archive were published in 2001 in his book Entering Germany: Photographs 1944-1949. In 1994, he was awarded the French at the celebrations of the fifty-year anniversary of the Normandy landings
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
.
Literature
- Vaccaro, Tony. Luxembourg by Tony Vaccaro, 1944-1945. Luxembourg: Lions Club, 1995.
- Vaccaro, Tony: Entering Germany: Photographs 1944-1949, Taschen Verlag, 2001. ISBN 3822859087.
- Vaccaro, Tony: Frank Lloyd Wright , Kultur-unterm-Schirm, 2002.
External links
- Speech about war photographyWar photographyWar photography captures photographs of armed conflict and life in war-torn areas.Although photographs can provide a more direct representation than paintings or drawings, they are sometimes manipulated, creating an image that is not objectively journalistic.-History:Photography, presented to the...
held on August 1, 2001 at DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Germany. URL last accessed 2007-03-30. - Tannenbaum, S. V.: PVT Henry Irving Tannenbaum – Some background on the family of the dead soldier pictured on one of Vaccaro's most famous photographs: White Death – Requiem for a dead soldier. (Photo shot on January 12, 1945, Battle of the BulgeBattle of the BulgeThe Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
.) - Dolice. J.L.: http://www.dolice.com/NRCA.html Announcement of Vaccaro one-man exhibition of 50+ of his original vintage photographs of famous women held in March '08 sponsored by The New Rochelle Council on The Arts, a Westchester County, NY, USA non-profit Community Arts Council.