Herold Rodney Eaton "Hal" Phyfe (1892-1968) was a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

photographer famous for his theatrical portraits of the 1920s and 1930s. His photos have been described as "competent, but not in the

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Academy Awards, Oscar–winning stage design, stage and costume de ...

Edward Steichen Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography. Steichen was credited with tr ...

league".

Biography

Hal Phyfe was born into an American family based in Nice, France. He is a descendant of the American furniture designer

Duncan Phyfe Duncan Phyfe (1768 – 16 August 1854) was one of nineteenth-century America's leading cabinetmakers. Although he did not create a new furniture style, he interpreted fashionable European trends in a manner so distinguished and particular that ...

. He opened a New York photography studio in 1926. He photographed a range of celebrities including

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also ...

Anna Q. Nilsson Anna Quirentia Nilsson (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish-American actress who achieved success in American silent movies. Early life Nilsson was born in Ystad, Sweden in 1888. Her middle name Quirentia is derived from he ...

and

Carveth Wells Grant Carveth Wells (21 January 1887 — 16 February 1957) was a British adventurer, travel writer, and television personality in the mid-twentieth century. Wells was the author of eighteen travel-related books, including ''Six Years in the Mala ...

. He became known as "the official photographer to high society" and "one of the best amateur cooks in Manhattan". He asked his subjects not to smile as they were being photographed.

References

American portrait photographers 1892 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American photographers American expatriates in France {{US-photographer-stub