Erich Franz Emil Salomon studied law. The inflation that shook the Weimar Republic had an impact on him; his inherited family fortune vanished and at the age of 42 he began working as a photographer. At first he mainly took on commercial assignments, but he soon switched to photojournalism. Salomon became famous for his ‘candid’ shots. He would hide his Leica Model A in a folded newspaper, small box or briefcase. This allowed him to move in closer to his subjects and take photos at unexpected moments, giving the stars and politicians in his photos a human quality. His contemporaries admired his photographs. The French politician Aristide Briand said, ‘No meeting can ever be important if Solomon is not there.’ After the Nazi Party came to power, Erich Salmon and his wife Maggy Schuler fled to the Netherlands. During the war he went into hiding, but he was later arrested.
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On the book written about Erich Salomon: 'Erudition, charm and humour were the distinguishing traits of the Berlin law graduate and photographer Erich Salomon. Thanks to these qualities, he was able to move in the highest circles in Europe and America, where he immortalized countless celebrities in unguarded moments. Hitler’s rise to power in Germany in 1933 brought an end to Salomon’s dazzling career. He moved to the Netherlands and tried to make a new life there. In 1944, Erich Salomon was murdered in Auschwitz.’
Erich Salomon: Mit Frack und Linse durch Politik und gesellschaft: Photografien 1928-1930. Erich Salomon, Helmuth Braun, Susanne Lange, Janos Frecot, e.a. Schirmer/ Mosel Verlag. (München, 2004)
This person is commemorated on a memorial in Wageningen. More information on this memorial can be found (in Dutch) on the website of the Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei.