David Mordecai (1909-1973) was an Indian photographer in Calcutta whose subjects included the Nehrus, Tenzing Norgay, Sir Edmund Hillary, and King Mahendra and

Queen Ratna Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah (born 19 August 1928) is a member of the Nepalese Royal Family who was Queen consort of Nepal from 1955 to 1972 and Queen dowager from 1972 to 2008 when the royal family were stripped of all titles and privileges. ...

of Nepal.

Early life and family

Mordecai was born in Calcutta, India, in 1909, the son of Isaac and Esther Mordecai. His family were part of the Bagdadi Jewish community of Calcutta.David Mordecai.
''Recalling Jewish Calcutta: Memories of the Jewish community in Calcutta''. Retrieved 6 September 2015. Mordecai married Trixie David in 1935 and they had three daughters, Esthére, Anita, and Cheryl; six grandchildren: Rian, Lee, Steven, Amiel, Rachael and Daniel and four great-grandchildren: Samuel, Amir, Shamira and Poppy.

Career

Originally destined for the family business of Daw Sen & Company, makers of condiments, Mordecai eventually broke out to start his own photography business after showing aptitude for the subject as a child when his mother gave him a Kodak box camera as a gift. Mordecai developed a large business in producing society portraits, souvenirs for tourists, documentary and topographical works, and official photographs for businesses, including for Indian railways. His portraits included the Nehrus, Tenzing Norgay, Sir Edmund Hillary, and King Mahendra and Queen Ratna of Nepal. His studio at one time had over 100 employees. His output covered the transitional period of the last days of the British Raj and the first days of independent India.
Jael Silliman, '' Business Standard'', 20 December 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2015.

Death

Mordecai died in 1973 after suffering ill health in his later years.

Selected publications

*''India Through the Camera's Eye'' *''His Majesty King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shaha Deva. An analytical biography''. Bombay, Nityand Society, c. 1963. (Editor) *''The Himalayas: An illustrated summary of the world's highest mountain ranges''. Calcutta, Daw Sen, 1966.

References

External links

*http://www.jewishcalcutta.in/exhibits/show/business/david-mordecai--a-selection-of *http://www.jewishcalcutta.in/exhibits/show/business/david-mordecai--photographs-of {{DEFAULTSORT:Mordecai, David 1909 births 1973 deaths Artists from Kolkata Indian Jews 20th-century Indian photographers Indian portrait photographers Photographers from West Bengal