When He Said “Jump…”: The Most Influential Images Of All Time Captured By The Photographer Philippe Halsman

American actress Eva Marie Saint, 1954.

Philippe Halsman (2 May 1906 Riga, Russian Empire – 25 June 1979 New York City – previously) was a Latvian-born American portrait photographer. Many celebrities photographed by Halsman include Alfred Hitchcock, Judy Garland, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Dorothy Dandridge, and Pablo Picasso. Many of those photographs appeared on the cover of Life. In such photos, he utilizes a variety of his rules of photography. For example, in one of his photos of Winston Churchill, the omission of his face makes Halsman’s photo even more powerful at making Churchill more human.

Before Halsman, portrait photography was often stilted and softly blurred, with a clear sense of detachment between the photographer and the subject. Halsman’s approach, to bring subjects such as Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe and Alfred Hitchcock into sharp focus as they moved before the camera, redefined portrait photography and inspired generations of photographers to collaborate with their subjects.

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Albert Einstein in his home. USA, Princeton, New Jersey. 1947.

Alfred Hitchcock, 1962.

American actor Anthony Perkins, 1958.

American actors Dean Martin and Jerry Lewins, 1951.

Bermuda, 1946.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill with his poodle, Rufus, in the gardens of his Chartwell estate, 1951.

Daytona Beach, Florida, 1946.

French poet, artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau with actress Ricki Soma and dancer Leo Coleman. USA, New York City. 1949.

Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, 1951.

Marilyn Monroe, “Jumpology”, 1959.

Phillipe Halsman Looks at Salvador Dali, 1954.

American theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer, 1958.

Russian ballerina Tamara Toumanova, 1956

Russian novelist, poet and short story writer Vladimir Nabokov, 1966.

Salvador Dali and rhino, “Chaos and Creation”, 1958.

Salvador Dali “Dali Atomicus”, 1948

Woody Allen, 1969

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor (Prince Edward, the former King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, later the Duchess of Windsor.Jumpology, 1958.

American painter and filmmaker Andy Warhol. USA, 1968.

American movie star Marlon Brando. USA, New York City, Halsman’s studio, 1950.

Portrait of Brigitte Bardot (age 17) in her Paris flat. France, Paris, 1951.

Spanish Surrealist Painter Salvador Dali, 1946.

American actress Lucille Ball. USA, 1950.

The American trumpeter, singer, composer and conductor Louis Armstrong. New York City, Halsman’s studio. 15th April 1966.

British-American actress Elizabeth Taylor poses for the magazine LIFE. USA, 1948.

British actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn, 1955. Jumpology.

American actress Marilyn Monroe. USA, Hollywood, California, 1952.

American singer, actress, writer, film producer, director, and major pop-culture icon Barbra Streisand posing in her apartment for a Cosmopolitan magazine cover shoot. New York City, 1965.

American writer and authority on etiquette Emily Post. USA, 1946

The American painter Georgia O’Keeffe, 1967.

American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies Harold Lloyd, 1953.

The 37th President of the U.S. Richard M. Nixon plays the piano. USA, New York City, 1966.

American singer Joyce Bryant at Halsman’s studio. USA, New York City, 1954.

The American model Connie Ford (Halsman’s first cover for LIFE Magazine). USA, 1942.

American actress, singer, model and showgirl Marilyn Monroe posing in her two bedroom apartment. Under the lamp is a picture of Italian actress Eleonora Duse, whom Marilyn Monroe admired greatly. USA, Hollywood, California, 1952.

Spanish Surrealist Painter Salvador Dali. USA, New York City, 1951.

American actress, Princess consort of Monaco Grace Patricia Kelly, 1959.

The British film director Alfred Hitchcock, at the time of the filming of his movie “The Birds”. USA, California, Hollywood, Universal Studios, 1962.

The American model Connie Ford. USA, 1941.

American singer of classical music, Marian Anderson sings spirituals. USA, 1945.

American actress Mary Martin posing for LIFE Magazine as she appeared in “South Pacific”. USA, New York City, 1950.

American playwright who is best known for “The Zoo Story” (1958), “The Sandbox” (1959) and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1962) Edward Albee. USA, 1961.

Former French fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot jumping in front of her villa, “La Madrague”, France, 1955.

French poet, artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. USA, New York City, 1949.

American theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Julius Robert Oppenheimer.

British actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn, 1955.

British-Hungarian actress Eva Gabor, 1953.

Spanish Surrealist Painter Salvador Dali.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 1951.

French poet, artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. “Dream of a Poet”. USA, New York City, 1949.

Italian-born French actor and singer Yves Montand. France, Paris, 1960.

Italian actress Sophia Loren, 1959.

Spanish Surrealist Painter Salvador Dali. “In Voluptate Mors”. USA, New York City, 1951.

American actress Marilyn Monroe. USA, Hollywood, California, 1952.

A celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian Danny Kaye, 1954.

The American actress Sharon Tate, 1966.

The American actor Tony Randall, 1965.

The American writer and editor William F. Buckley Jr. USA. New York City, 1967.

American actress Marilyn Monroe. USA, Hollywood, California, 1952.

An English actor, writer and dramatist sir Peter Alexander Ustinov, 1950er Jahre.

The American actress Anjelica Huston, 1968.

A danseur and choreographer, frequently cited as America’s most celebrated male dancer at the time Edward Villella,1961.

French Actress & Model Capucine. USA, Hollywood, California, 1960.

American actress Jean Dorothy Seberg with cat, 1959.

American film and theater actress, singer and dancer Shirley MacLaine

The American Vice President Richard M. Nixon. USA. 1959. Jumpology.

The Halsman family. Left to right: Jane, Yvonne, Philippe and IrГЁne. USA, 1950.