Ernest J. Bellocq

John Ernest Joseph Bellocq (* 1873 in New Orleans , Louisiana , USA ; † September 1949 there ) was an American photographer and nude photographer , whose life story and works were later the model for the film Pretty Baby .

Life

Bellocq was born in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1873, the elder of two sons to a wealthy Creole family. After all, he graduated from school with such good results that his father, Paul Bellocq, arranged for him to work in his book shop. The young Ernest preferred a less secure life with different jobs. After making a name for himself as an amateur , he soon earned his living as a professional commercial photographer taking pictures of ships or machines for various companies in New Orleans.

John Ernest Bellocq died in hospital in September 1949, a week after sustaining serious head injuries while falling down stairs.

Storyville portraits

Bellocq became known with his photo series “Storyville Portraits” , which was created around 1912 and shows photos of prostitutes in the entertainment district of New Orleans Storyville .

In a few files, the models wear masks that hide their identities. Much more often, however, the faces on the negative plate were scratched and thus made unrecognizable. This, too, is one of the puzzles that give up Bellocq's life and work. Because the anonymity of the models was by no means preserved. They remained recognizable on other photos that were not destroyed.

The reason the photos were taken is obscure. Bellocq himself had neither published it nor, it is assumed, intended for publication and only shown it to closest friends. The American photographer Lee Friedlander did not acquire the 89 glass negative plates from Bellocq's estate until almost twenty years later, in 1966, from the art dealer Larry Bronstein and made a few prints. In 1970 the New York Museum of Modern Art dedicated a separate exhibition to these works.

Web links

Commons : Ernest J. Bellocq  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Literature by and about Ernest J. Bellocq in the catalog of the German National Library
• Ernest J. Bellocq at artfacts.net
• Entry on Bellocq at Masters of Photography (English)