Francis Reiss
Francis Reiss (1927 – 4 December 2017) was an Australian photographer, born to Danish parents in Hamburg, Germany. He was best known for his work for Picture Post and Life magazines.
Francis Reiss
- Name
- Francis Reiss
- Born
- 1927
- Birthplace
- Hamburg, Germany
- Died
- 4 December 2017
- Known for
- Photography
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Occupation
- photographer · journalist · photojournalist
- Education
- Oundle School
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Francis Reiss (1927 – 4 December 2017) was an Australian photographer, born to Danish parents in Hamburg, Germany. He was best known for his work for Picture Post and Life magazines.
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Note VALÉORINE
Francis Reiss (1927–2018) was a British journalist, photographer and photojournalist. The journalist was born in Hamburg. Francis Reiss studied at Oundle School.
Languages used include English. Works by the journalist are held at National Gallery of Victoria.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q16090566 · wikipedia · Francis Reiss
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Francis Reiss • Born — 1927 • Birthplace — Hamburg, Germany • Died — 4 December 2017 • Known for — Photography
Early life
Early life
Reiss was born in 1927 in Hamburg, Germany to Danish parents. He began taking photos as a child. The family moved to the United Kingdom in 1936. There he attended Oundle School, and began taking photos.
Career and death
Career and death
Reiss began working for Picture Post magazine in the UK at the age of 17, the youngest staff photographer employed by them. Picture Post published over 60 picture stories by him. In 1947, Reiss sailed for New York and immediately started working for LIFE magazine. In 1950, realising he had gone stale, Reiss quit photography, and entered the wool trade. Not until 1993, ten years after migrating to Australia and receiving a chance commission from James Mollison did he return to photography. Reiss died on 4 December 2017 at the age of 90.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
His work has been exhibited at a number of galleries in Australia, including one-man shows at: • Bendigo Art Gallery • Monash Gallery of Art • Whitehorse Art Space and in group exhibitions at: • Barbican Centre
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1927
Francis Reiss born at Hamburg.
2018
Francis Reiss died.
Publications
His work has appeared in the following publications: • Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology • Overland magazine • Bystander magazine
Collections
His works are held in a number of collections: • State Library of Victoria • National Library of Australia • National Portrait Gallery (Australia) • Jewish Museum of Australia • National Gallery of Victoria • Monash Gallery of Art • Mitchell Library (Australia) • Heide Museum of Modern Art • City of Whitehorse art collection
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Monash Gallery of Art. Francis Reiss: pictures of the 1940s.
- 2.Ford, Wayne. The photography of Francis Reiss. Wayne Ford's blog. Tumblr.
- 3.Photos document 1950s Australia riding on the sheep's back. ABC News. 2017-07-04.
- 4.Jeremy Story Carter. Francis Reiss – the photographer behind these beautiful photos and so many more – died yesterday. I was lucky enough to spend an arvo with him a few months back. It was a real privilege. 937914998780674049. 5 December 2017.
- 5.Photographer Francis E. Reiss Dies Aged 90. Getty Images.
- 6.State Library Victoria. Search (enter 'Francis Reiss picture'). slv.vic.gov.au.
- 7.National Library of Australia. Catalogue: Search (enter 'Francis Reiss picture'). catalogue.nla.gov.au.
- 8.National Portrait Gallery. Francis Reiss b. 1927. portrait.gov.au.
- 9.National Gallery of Victoria. NGV Collection Online: Portrait of Dr Ursula Hoff 1994 Francis Reiss. ngv.vic.gov.au.
- 10.Photographs: Sydney Harbour panorama, 1952, taken from Nielsen Park photographed by Francis Reiss. primo-slnsw.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com.
- 11.Culture Victoria. City of Whitehorse Arts and Culture: Our Collection – Subcollections: Works on Paper. cv.vic.gov.au.
- 12.Bendigo Art Gallery. A moment in time: Portraits of the 1990s by Francis Reiss.
- 13.Whitehorse Art Space. War and Peace: Photographs by Francis Reiss. Exhibition details.
- 14.Whitehorse Artspace. On the Sheep's Back. Exhibition details.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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