Richard Gordon Matzene, born Jens Rudolph Matzene, (c. 1875-1950) was a European-born American photographer and art dealer. He took many

portrait photograph Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective Photographic lighting, lighting, Painted photography backdrops, backdrops, and poses. A portr ...

s of members of

high society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...

Early life

Matzene was born circa 1875 in Europe, either in Denmark, Hungary or in England. He took the title of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New Yor ...

, although there is no evidence that he was one.

Career

Matzene became a portrait photographer for members of high society in Chicago in 1900. He moved to Syracuse, New York and opened an art gallery in New York City in 1909. After he went bankrupt in 1911, Matzene moved to Los Angeles, California, where he became a photographer for Hollywood actors and actresses. With

David Hartford David Hartford (1873–1932) was an American actor and film director best known for directing the movie '' Back to God's Country'' (1919). Selected filmography *''The Dead End'' (1914) *'' Tess of the Storm Country'' (1914) * ''The Bride of Hate ...

, he co-directed ''It Happened in Paris'', a 1919 film starring Madame Yorska. In 1920, he took portrait photographs of women from Montana, and they were published in ''The Anaconda Standard'', the main newspaper in

Anaconda, Montana Anaconda, county seat of Deer Lodge County, which has a consolidated city-county government, is located in southwestern Montana, United States. Located at the foot of the Anaconda Range (known locally as the "Pintlers"), the Continental Divi ...

. Matzene traveled internationally to take portrait photographs of the British Royal Family, as well Japanese and Chinese politicians like President

Li Yuanhong Li Yuanhong (; courtesy name Songqing 宋卿) (October 19, 1864 – June 3, 1928) was a Chinese politician during the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. He was the president of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1917, and between 1922 ...

. He was described as "one of the world's most renowned photographic portrait artists" by ''

The Anaconda Standard The Anaconda Copper Mining Company, known as the Amalgamated Copper Company between 1899 to 1915, was an American mining company headquartered in Butte, Montana. It was one of the largest trusts of the early 20th century and one of the largest min ...

'' in 1925. Two years later, he photographed the Nepalese Royal Family. Matzene moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma in the 1920s, and he became an art dealer and patron. Between October 1926 and February 1927 Matzene was the resident photographer at the newly opened Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, branch of the Steffens-Colmer Studio, which was based in Vancouver, British Columbia. By 1932, he was described in the press as "perhaps ..the greatest antiques collector in the world." Matzene donated statues and paintings from his art collection to the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is an art museum on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma. Overview The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art holds over 20,000 objects in its permanent collection. The museu ...

in 1935. The Ponca City Library received another donation in the 1950s.

Personal life and death

Matzene married Antonia Baumer in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1909. She was an heiress. Matzene died in 1950.

References

1950 deaths People from Chicago People from Ponca City, Oklahoma American portrait photographers 20th-century American photographers American art dealers {{Oklahoma-stub