Emil Otto Hoppé (1878–1972) is celebrated as one of the most important portrait photographers of the twentieth century, described by Cecil Beaton as “The Master.”
Beginning his photographic career in 1903, Hoppé was swiftly admitted to Britain’s Royal Photographic Society, where he regularly exhibited his work and received early acclaim. His portraits soon garnered high-profile awards, featuring a veritable Who’s Who of twentieth-century figures from the worlds of art, literature, and politics.
Among his sitters were Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Henry James, H.G. Wells, A.A. Milne, Rudyard Kipling, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Thomas Hardy, Vita Sackville-West, Vaslav Nijinsky and the dancers of the Ballets Russes, Queen Mary, and King George V, among many others.
Having mastered both studio and street photography, Hoppé went on to travel the world—often for months or even years at a time—to capture the character and spirit of diverse international communities.