Helmar Lerski
Helmar Lerski (18 February 1871, in Strasbourg – 19 September 1956, in Zürich) was a photographer who laid some of the foundations of modern photography. His works are on display in the USA, Germany, Israel and Switzerland. He focused mainly on portraits and the technique of photography with mirrors.
Also recorded as Israel Schmuklerski · Helmar Lerksi
Helmar Lerski
Talmoryair · Harvard University Library · Public domain
- Born
- 1871.
- Died
- 1956.
- Nationality
- Switzerland, France and Mandatory Palestine.
- Occupation
- film director, photographer, cinematographer, writer, camera operator and director.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Helmar Lerski (18 February 1871, in Strasbourg – 19 September 1956, in Zürich) was a photographer who laid some of the foundations of modern photography. His works are on display in the USA, Germany, Israel and Switzerland. He focused mainly on portraits and the technique of photography with mirrors.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Helmar Lerski. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 1068788542 · wikidata · Q124434 · wikipedia · Helmar Lerski
In this article
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
His birth name was Israel Schmuklerski. In 1876, the family moved to Zürich, Switzerland, where the family was naturalized. In 1888, Lerski emigrated to the United States, where he worked as an actor. Around 1910, he began to photograph. In 1915, he returned to Europe and worked as a cameraman and expert for special effects for many films, including Fritz Lang's Metropolis. At the end of the 1920s, he made a name as an avant-garde portrait photographer. In 1932, he emigrated with his second wife to Mandate Palestine, where he continued to work as a photographer, cameraman, and film director. On 22 March 1948, they left what was by then Israel and settled again in Zürich.
When the Dead Speak (1917) Maria Pavlowna (1919) Children of Darkness (1921) The False Dimitri (1922) A Dying Nation (1922) Inge Larsen (1923) The New Land (1924) The Wig (1925) The Holy Mountain (1926) Adamah (1948)
From the series "Jewish soldiers" (1942-1943) by Helmar Lerski.
en:Helmar Lerski · רז, גיא, "צלמי הארץ: מראשית ימי הצילום ועד היום ", הוצאת מפה, תשנ"ג
Jewish soldier
Helmar Lerski · File:Helmar_Lerski01.jpg
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1871
Helmar Lerski born at Strasbourg.
1956
Helmar Lerski died at Zurich.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Helmar Lerski”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q124434: Helmar Lerski
General reference · Wikidata
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
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 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Photography
11,392 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Heli RekulaPhotographer
- Hella HammidPhotographer
- Hella KatzPhotographer
- Hellen van MeenePhotographer
- Helmut GernsheimPhotographer
- Helmut GritscherPhotographer
- Helmut NewtonPhotographer
- Hema UpadhyayPhotographer
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Helmar Lerski?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.