__NOTOC__ Ernest A. Bachrach (18991973) was an American photographer. Bachrach was born in 1899 and died in 1973. He attended

Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School (pronounced ), commonly referred to among its students as Stuy (pronounced ), is a State school, public university-preparatory school, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school ...

. He worked at Famous Players–Lasky "right after" World War I. Around 1923, he was working in

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

's studio in Astoria, Queens, taking stills for Gloria Swanson films. When Swanson departed New York in 1926 after forming her own company, she asked Bachrach to come with her. As of 1946, Bachrach had been a still photographer at

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

for 18 years. He founded RKO's still photography department in 1928 following RKO's merger with Film Booking Offices of America and headed the still photography department at RKO as of 1935. He took almost all the stills of

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

in the 1930s, while she was with RKO. Bachrach used Graflex cameras "to capture spontaneity". Scholar Patricia J. Fanning calls Bachrach "one of the premier portrait photographers in Hollywood".

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