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James E. Abbe (American (1883-1973)
Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) in the Kremlin, Moscow, April 13, 1932
Gelatin-silver print, 9-3/4 x 7-3/4 inches
Gift of Tilly Abbe for the Abbe Family, 2004.1

During the 1920s and 1930s, James Abbe was among the best-known and most widely published photographers on the international scene. He photographed the most renowned theater and film celebrities, as well as the dictators of Europe. During his prime years, his reputation was such that Vanity Fair magazine nominated him to their "hall of fame" in February 1934. Working under the moniker "the tramp photographer," Abbe paved the way for today's freelance photojournalists by earning his living on the road making photographs, writing accompanying stories, and selling them to magazines and newspapers throughout the world. Based in Paris, Abbe traveled throughout Europe working for various magazines and newspapers such as the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung in Germany, and VU in France. Traveling to Russia in 1928, and again in 1932, Abbe published a book of text and photographs entitled I Photograph Russia in 1935. Photographing Stalin was undoubtedly Abbe's biggest scoop, and the pictures were published in the newspapers and magazines of many countries.

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