Background
Perscheid was born as Nikolaus Perscheid in Koblenz, Germany, on December 3, 1864. He was the son of Andreas Perscheid and Gertrud Wirgens. He was a descendant of wine-growers from Portugal and Spain.
Self Portrait by Nicola Perscheid.
Look in Nicola Perscheid's studio in Berlin.
Perscheid was born as Nikolaus Perscheid in Koblenz, Germany, on December 3, 1864. He was the son of Andreas Perscheid and Gertrud Wirgens. He was a descendant of wine-growers from Portugal and Spain.
Nicola Perscheid went to a local school in Koblenz, Germany. At the age of 15, he began an apprenticeship as a photographer in the Atelier Reuss and Möller in Koblenz, graduating in 1879.
Perscheid made his living as a wandering photographer; he worked at such places as Trier, Saarbrücken, Colmar, Nice, Budapest, and Vienna. After that, he served in the Paul Strnad studio in Erfurt. Between 1887 and 1889 he worked as a retoucher in the Atelier Beer in Klagenfurt. In 1889 the photographer went to Dresden, where he worked in the Wilhelm Höffert's studio.
In 1891 Nicola Perscheid opened his own studio in Görlitz, specializing in portrait photography. The following year he held the post of a court photographer at the court of Albert, King of Saxony. In 1894, Perscheid went to Leipzig. He also had contacts with artist Max Klinger. Klinger was repeatedly photographed in the following years by Nicola Perscheid.
Perscheid had his first publication in a famous photography magazine in 1897. Nicola Perscheid participated in numerous exhibitions at home and abroad, learning about the latest developments in the field of photography. In 1905 he went to Berlin and opened a new studio there. His portraits were considered important during this time but had no economic success. Eventually, in addition to his work as a photographer, he also started to train young photographers and lecture in Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. Among his students were Madame d'Ora, Toragorō Ariga, Arthur Benda, Peter-Paul Atzwanger, Curt Götlin, Uno Falkengren, and Henry B Goodwin. Perscheid sold his studio in 1912.
Nicola Perscheid took photographs of numerous famous personalities of his time. He was a favorite of the Berlin society. In October 1913, he held a course at the Swedish society of professional photographers, the Svenska Fotografernas Förbund. Even after he sold his studio, Perscheid continued to work as a photographer and even rented studio rooms in 1917. Perscheid developed his lens around 1920. It was a soft-focus lens with a wide depth of field. It was designed specifically for large format portrait photography. In 1923 he moved to Kopenhagen.
In old age, Perscheid suffered increasingly from the shortage of money. However, even in times of financial problems he didn't deny himself anything. Soon, he suffered a stroke and was hospitalized in spring of 1930. Finally, Nicola Perscheid died impoverished in 1930 in Berlin.
Nicola Perscheid was a pioneer in professional photography in Germany, who cooperated with many celebrities. He was known to develop the so-called "Perscheid lens", a soft focus lens for large format portrait photography. Besides, in the year 1909, he received the Great Silver State Medal from the German Photographers Association, which was considered the most important award for professional photographers.
Hanna Ralph
Clemens Freiherr Von Schorlemer-lieser
Käthe Haack
Vincenz Czerny, Austrian-german Surgeon
Franz Metzner
Heimwärts
Manja Tzatschewa
Adolph Wagner
Austrian Actor and Director Felix Basch, Photograped by Nicola Parscheid
Julius Rodenberg
Junge Frau Auf Einer Wiese. Gummidruck, Deutschland Um 1900
Jakob Schaffner
Der Maler Hans Thoma
Helmuth Johannes Ludwig Von Moltke
Manfred V. Richthofen
King George of Saxony in 1902.
Picture Postcard of Manfred Von Richthofen. Sanke Postcard #533.
Fritzi Massary
August Schmarsow
Enver Pasha
Schauspieler Ferdinand Von Alten
Papst Pius Xi.
Max Dauthendey
Elsa Laura Von Wolzogen
Adolf Ii, Prince of Schaumburg-lippe
Clara Viebig
Eugen Bracht
Lothar Von Richthofen
Dorrit Weixler
Karl Lamprecht
Generalleutnant Luddendorf
Oscar Straus (composer)
German Actress Lotte Stein
Franz Von Liszt.
Ludwig Roselius
Josias Von Heeringen
Max Liebermann Von Sonnenberg
Ernst Haeckel
Porträt Des Designers Henry Van De Velde
Enver Pasha
Adolf Von Harnack
Großadmiral Alfred Von Tirpitz
Photograph of Clara Viebig in Berlin by Nicola Perscheid
Portrait of Jacobus Henricus Van 't Hoff, Seated, Looking into Camera.
German Actress and Producer Lu Synd
Heinrich Gontermann
Theobald V. Bethmann Hollweg
Max Reinhardt
Clara Viebig
Helmuth Johann Ludwig Von Moltke
Hans Graf Von Schwerin-löwitz
Ferdynand Radziwiłł
German Actress Lotte Stein
Johannes Riemann
The Reaper
Bruno Wille
Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern
Adolf Karl Heinrich Slaby
Manja Tzatschewa
Porträt Von Hermann Göring, Als Er Jagdflieger War
General Martin Wilhelm Remus Von Woyrsch
Gustav Von Schmoller
Alfred Von Tirpitz
Portrait of Max Liebermann
Friedrich Schmidt-ott
Josias Von Heeringen
Friedrich Zelnic
Albert of Saxony
Alfred Von Tirpitz
Adolf Tortilowicz Von Batocki-friebe
August Bebel
German Actress Lissy Lind Aka Lissy Krueger
Venedig - Canale Grande
Hermann Von Hatzfeldt
Gabriele Reuter
Clara Viebig with Her Husband Friedrich Theodor Cohn and Son Ernst
Elsa Laura Von Wolzogen
German Conductor Hans Winderstein
Ludwig Pietsch
George of Saxony
Ernst Viktor Von Leyden, German Physician
Josias V. Heeringen
Dame Mit Japanischem Schirm
Porträt Des Deutschen Schauspielers Fritz Delius
Portrait Photo of Emil Rathenau
Ernst Haeckel, German Biologist and Naturalist
Jakob Schaffner
Hans Gregor
Fritzi Massary
Cipriano Castro
Dorrit Weixler
Portrait of Edvard Grieg
Fritzi Massary
August Bier
Karl Von Bülow
Felix Von Hartmann
Ernst Weber
Colmar Freiherr Von Der Goltz, Prussian Field Marshal
Elie Metchnikoff
On March 1, 1887, Nicola Perscheid became a member of the Photographic Society of Vienna (Wiener Photographische Gesellschaft).
Nicola Perscheid was married to Claire Perscheid. The couple produced a son, Lothar Perscheid.
