LOTTE JACOBI (POLISH-AMERICAN 1896-1990)

LOTTE JACOBI (GERMAN -AMERICAN 1896-1990)
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mann in their House, Princeton, ca. 1939
gelatin silver print
image size: 17 x 11.5 cm (6 3/4 x 4 1/2 in.)
dimensions with passe-partout: 28.5 x 23 cm (11 1/4 x 9 in.)
signed lower right

LOT NOTES
Thomas Mann (1875�1955) was a prominent German novelist, essayist, and social critic renowned for his profound explorations of European cultural and intellectual traditions. Born in L�beck, Germany, Mann achieved international acclaim with novels such as Buddenbrooks (1901), which earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929, and later works like Death in Venice (1912), The Magic Mountain (1924) and Doctor Faustus (1947). His writings often tackled complex themes such as the tensions between art and life, individualism versus society, and moral decay in modern civilization. A vocal opponent of Nazism, Mann fled Germany in 1933, eventually settling in the United States. He returned to Europe in 1952, residing in Switzerland until his death. Mann remains one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century, celebrated for his intellectual depth and nuanced narrative style.

Lotte Jacobi was a prominent German-American photographer known for her striking portraits of influential artists, intellectuals, and public figures of the 20th century. Born in Prussia, Jacobi came from a family with deep roots in photography. She established her career in Berlin during the Weimar Republic, capturing expressive images of notable figures such as Albert Einstein, K�the Kollwitz, and Marc Chagall. With the rise of Nazism, Jacobi emigrated to the United States in 1935, eventually settling in New York City, where she continued her influential work and experimented with abstract photographic techniques, including her innovative �photogenics.� Her powerful portraits, characterized by their intimacy and psychological depth, earned her lasting recognition as one of the era�s leading photographic artists.

Keywords: photograph, literature

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