Louis Held
Illustration — Self-portrait taken 1913 Carl Heinrich Louis Held (1 December 1851 – 17 April 1927) was a German photographer and a pioneer of photojournalism. Held was raised by relatives after the death of his parents in 1860. He first apprenticed in a company producing silk tissues before beginning a second apprenticeship as a photographer.
Also recorded as Carl Heinrich Louis Held
Louis Held
Louis Held · Renno, Renate, Renno, Eberhard, ed. (1985) Louis Held. Hofphotograph in Weimar – Reporter der Jahrhundertwende, Leipzig: VEB Fotokinoverlag · Public domain
- Born
- 1851 · Berlin.
- Died
- 1927 · Weimar.
- Nationality
- Germany
- Occupation
- photographer · journalist · photojournalist · filmmaker · cinematographer · film producer · director
- Languages
- German
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gnd · 1073059901 · wikidata · Q110149 · wikipedia · Louis Held
In this article
Identity
Identity
He opened his first studio in Liegnitz in 1876, moved three years later to Berlin, and again three years later to Weimar. There, he became a protégé of Franz Liszt and was appointed court photographer of Carl Alexander, grand duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, in 1888. From 1890 on, he travelled throughout Germany, photographing for illustrated magazines. In 1912, he opened a cinema in Weimar. In 1923, he experimented with color photography.
Study and consultation room in the Nietzsche Archive with the interior by Henry van de Velde, c. Recorded as photographer, journalist, photojournalist, filmmaker and cinematographer. The writer Johannes Schlaf at a desk, ca.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1851–1927
The full dated record · 3 entries
1851
Louis Held was born on 1 December 1851.
1884
Photograph of F. Liszt by Louis Held is dated 1884.
1927
Louis Held died on 17 April 1927.
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Berlin.
Birth place
Weimar.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q110149: Louis Held
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Louis Held”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1073059901, Louis Held (Genéve).
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Louis Held, revision 1362187091 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1073059901, Louis Held (Genéve).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q110149: Louis HeldWikimedia Foundation
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 16 August 2026.
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