Anton Krenn (photojournalist)
Anton Krenn (born December 31, 1874 in Johnsdorf-Brunn ; † December 12, 1958 in Zurich ) was an Austrian photojournalist who lived in Zurich. He is one of the pioneers of photo reportage .
Life
Anton Krenn, son of Maria Krenn, was an orphan at an early age and grew up with his grandparents on a farm in Johnsdorf in Styria . He received his first education at elementary school . As a journeyman shoemaker, he came to Zurich in the mid-1890s, where he lived until his death (but retained Austrian citizenship). At a trade school he learned, among other things, shorthand , which ultimately brought him to journalism: when he was practicing a speech by Minister Ilg about the defeat of the Italian army at the Battle of Adua , this transcript was bought from him and appeared in various daily newspapers.
Afterwards working as a freelance reporter, Krenn soon recognized the advantages of illustrated reports, bought a camera and trained with the Zurich photographer Enderli. From 1896 he worked for local newspapers, so he reported independently on the Swiss National Exhibition in Geneva. In 1897, reports about the Zizers fire also brought him into contact with international media. In the following years he traveled for photo reports on many important events such as the assassination attempt on Empress Elisabeth in Geneva (1898) and the murder of King Umberto I in Monza (1900). Among other things, he worked for the Schweizerische Depeschenagentur , published for example in the Schweizer Illustrierte Zeitung , Schweizer Radio-Zeitung , Basellandschaftliche Zeitung and the Daily Anzeiger von Thun . He was also an editor at the messenger from Walensee .
With his accomplished photo reports, Krenn achieved a certain monopoly in his field after the end of the First World War and was also in demand from Germany and England. He set up an extensive archive from which he later drew. In addition to his journalistic work, he also photographed art monuments and historical buildings.
Due to an eye disease, Krenn had to give up photography around 1940, but continued to work as a writing journalist. He was married to Martha Jaeger and had children. He died in Zurich in 1958. His estate is at the Swiss Photo Foundation .
literature
- Adrian Scherrer: Anton Krenn. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . October 29, 2007 .
- Anton Krenn. In: Biographical lexicon of deceased Swiss people: in memoriam. Volume 5, Zum Hirzen, Basel 1961, p. 321.
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Krenn, Anton |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian photojournalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 31, 1874 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Johnsdorf-Brunn |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 12, 1958 |
| Place of death | Zurich |