-
Artworks
Karl StrussUntitled (Seated Nude), 1913Platinum print, printed ca. 19139 1/4 x 7 3/8 in. (23.5 x 18.7 cm)(BSG 30)***KARL STRUSS (American, 1886 - 1981)
Karl Struss was an engineer, photographer, and cinematographer, known for his innovation in photography and filmmaking.
Struss was born in New York City in 1886. After suffering an illness in his late teens, Struss’ father removed him from school and hired him as a labor operator at the Seybel and Struss bonnet wire factory. It was at this time that Struss developed an interest in photography and building cameras. Struss went on to study photography and began a career as a pictorialist photographer. In 1909, he invented the Struss Pictorial Lens, which gained popularity among photographers and became the first soft-focus lens used in motion pictures. Though Struss experienced success as a photographer, he later moved to Hollywood to pursue cinematography. Struss worked on over 100 films —including Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight and The Great Dictator— before his retirement in 1970. He won several awards for his work in cinematography, including an Academy Award for the film Sunrise (1928). Struss passed away in 1981 at the age of 86.
