Hella Katz (20 September 1899 – 20 January 1981) was the professional name of the Jewish photographer Helene Katz. Arriving in Vienna at the beginning of World War I, Katz became an influential photographer in the city in the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

. She has photographs in the collections of the Vienna Museum.

Early life

Helene Katz was born on 20 September 1899 in

Lemberg Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

, in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, which at the time was administered under the terms of the Third Partition of Poland by Austria-Hungary. In 1914 during World War I, she fled from the Russian advance with her German-speaking, Jewish family from eastern Galicia, in what is now Ukraine, to Vienna. In 1915, she enrolled in the , from which she graduated in 1920.

Career

Katz practiced her craft of photography for two years before applying for her trade license in August 1922. Within three years, she opened her own studio at #18 Stubenring Boulevard. It was a favorable time for women to engage in business, as workers were scarce, and many businesses were understaffed. Women who wanted to enter the workforce found openings in the arts including dance, film, photography, and radio studios, as well as in the theater. Katz built her reputation as a portrait photographer, taking pictures of society figures as well as artists and performers. Her repertoire expanded to include nude photographs and modern dance and by the 1930s, Katz was one of the most well-known photographers in Vienna. She participated in several art exhibitions and attracted students. Among those who studied with her were , Hans Popper (later known as John H. Popper), and

Anton Josef Trčka Anton Josef Trčka (7 September 1893 – 16 March 1940) was an Austrian-born Czech photographer, painter and poet. He was mostly known for his portraits, which he signed with the name "Antios," a combination of his first and middle names. His st ...

. When the

Nazis came to power Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

in early 1938, initially Katz was allowed to continue teaching. Until '' Kristallnacht'', she continued teaching and was allowed to produce photographs for emigrating Jews. Because she had approval to engage in business, she was not placed under surveillance and was able to liquidate her business and vacate the premises under the terms of her lease by 30 April 1939. After having given her notice, Katz terminated her registration as an Austrian Jew on 20 March 1939 and made plans with the assistance of William L. Shirer to leave the country. In April, she registered in London with the Jewish Refugee Committee. In May, she asked the committee for help in locating a shipping company to arrange the shipping of her luggage to the United States, but did not ultimately leave England, having found lodging in Oxshott,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. Back in Vienna, under the Aryanization Laws, Franz Jungwirth, a Nazi bureaucrat, was assigned to liquidate Katz's business. His report, made in July 1939, indicated that the only remaining property at her studio were a few cameras and accessories, and minimal furnishings of no value. Her archive of photographs and negatives had been lost or looted. After the war, in early 1948, Katz married Ronald Lowis, of Shildon. He was a tobacconist and very involved in the local Methodist church. She became involved in church work and only occasionally took photographs.

Death and legacy

Lowis died on 20 January 1981 in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. From 22 October 2012 through 3 March 2013, the Jewish Museum Vienna hosted an exhibition, ''Vienna’s Shooting Girls: Jewish Women Photographers from Vienna'', which featured the work of forty Jewish women photographers, including Katz. In the

, two-thirds of all photography studios in Vienna, had been run by Jewish women and the collection paid homage to their impact on the city. Some of Katz's work is preserved in the Vienna Museum in a special collection dedicated to photographers who took pictures of the avant-garde dancers of the interwar era.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

Known works by Katz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katz, Hella 1899 births 1981 deaths Photographers from Lviv Austrian women photographers Jewish women artists 20th-century Austrian businesswomen 20th-century Austrian businesspeople Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United Kingdom 20th-century British women photographers 20th-century British photographers Photographers from Vienna Austrian women company founders 20th-century British businesswomen 20th-century women photographers 20th-century Austrian photographers