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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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.
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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 · 23 entries
1851
Louis Held was born on 1 December 1851.
1884
Photograph of F. Liszt by Louis Held is dated 1884.
1892
The classicist staircase by Heinrich Gentz in the Residenzschloss, around 1900 is dated 1892.
1892
Grand Duchess Sophie in front of a prospectus studio, 1892 is dated 1892.
1895
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's garden house in the Park at the Ilm river, circa 1895 is dated 1895.
1900
The Residenzschloss from the south (without the south wing, which was only built in 1913–1914), around 1900 is dated 1900.
1901
Der Naturapostel Gustav Nagel, 1901 is dated 1901.
1903
Opening of the Max Klinger exhibition in the skylight hall of the Museum of Art and Applied Arts, in front Grand Duke William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his wife Caroline, in back Harry Graf Kessler in uniform, 1903 is dated 1903.
1903
Study and consultation room in the Nietzsche Archive with the interior by Henry van de Velde, c. 1903 is dated 1903.
1903
The Grand Ducal Museum (now Neues Museum), 1903 is dated 1903.
1904
The Frauenplan square with the Zum weißen Schwan inn and the Goethe house, circa 1904 is dated 1904.
1904
Inauguration of the Shakespeare monument in the Park at the Ilm, 1904 is dated 1904.
1904
In the Grand Ducal Library, around 1904–1905 is dated 1904.
1905
The old court theatre before demolition, around 1905 is dated 1905.
1905
Stagehand at breakfast, around 1905 is dated 1905.
1905
The theatre orchestra, circa 1905 is dated 1905.
1905
Ballet rehearsal, around 1905 is dated 1905.
1908
The new biult court theatre with the Goethe Schiller memorial, circa 1908 is dated 1908.
1910
Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, 1910 is dated 1910.
1911
Im neuen Kulissenmalsaal, um 1911 is dated 1911.
1915
The writer Johannes Schlaf at a desk, ca. 1915 is dated 1915.
1918
The scientists of the Goethe and Schiller archive, circa 1918 is dated 1918.
1927
Louis Held died on 17 April 1927.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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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
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
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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