**Originally Listed At $1200**

Alexander Binder (German possibly Swiss origin, 1888-1929). Vintage Gelatin Silver Print of Greta Garbo, ca. 1925. Signed "Binder" at lower left. A captivating photograph of the glamorous Greta Garbo dressed in black with an elegant scarf and drop earrings by Berlin's leading celebrity and fashion photographer, Alexander Binder. Berlin was the capital of Europe's film industry, and Binder captured its stars. Many were featured on postcards published by Ross Verlag and Photochemie. This photo is framed between two panes of glass, so that one can see the inscriptions on the verso. The date 1925 appears multiple times as well as a label, stamp, and handwritten inscriptions indicating Binder took the photo in Berlin. Size (sight view): 8.25" L x 5.875" W (21 cm x 14.9 cm) Size (frame): 12.375" L x 10.25" W (31.4 cm x 26 cm)

Alexander Binder had a successful photo studio in Europe during the late 1920s and 1930s. He depicted many stars of the time including Greta Garbo, and many of these portraits were featured on Ross Verlag postards. Perhaps of Swiss origin, Binder initially studied engineering but he did not complete his degree and studied photography in Munich from 1908 to 1910. In 1913, Binder set up a photo studion in Berlin. In no time at all, he became a sought after photographer in Berlin, focussing on celebrity and fashion photography. Since Berlin was the capital of the European film industry, Binder photographed all the major stars - not only Greta Garbo, but also Lilian Harvey, Conrad Veidt, and Lya De Putti. After Binder passed away in 1929 his studio continued to be owned by his widow, Mrs. Binder Alleman and their two daughters - and was managed by the Jewish Elisabeth Baroness Vonhedlis Stengel. With the rise of the Nazis, Stengal was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The Nazis closed Binder's studio in 1938 and an Aryan photographer, Karl Ludwig Haenchen, took it over, continuing to create celebrity portraits for postcards. When World War II ended, the Hasse und Wiese company took over the studio.

Provenance: private Santa Barbara, California, USA collection

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#179035

Photo is mounted under glass in an attractive wood frame. It has not been examined outside the frame. Glass on verso has cracked but makes it possible to see the verso of the photo. There are various inscriptions; most significantly the date 1925 appears multiple times as well as a label, stamp, and handwritten inscriptions indicating the photo was taken in Berlin and pertained to a "Svenska" (Swedish) film. We would recommend either replacing the broken glass or reframing.