This great lady is not easy to catch. You wish to see her? She is never where you expect to find her. In Paris? She’s been spotted in Germany. In Berkeley? But she’s just returned to France. French and American by birth, she is somewhere out there in the world. You want to contact her through one of the magazines she works for? Vogue? Paris-Match? Impossible. She has declared independence. No agent. No contracts. No ties.
But you do get to see her in the end: she sizes you up from her imposing height, with all her “class.” Photographically, you fall prey to her lens. Her story? After suffering in France during the war—a subject she shies from—she set out to conquer America, and was offered a post at the famous Vassar College. She preferred to write and experience the human adventure. She didn’t know yet that photography would become her world. One man would change her destiny. Erwin Blumenfeld, the great master of fashion photography, who played with all the tricks of solarization, special effects, and surrealism close to Man Ray’s or Tabard’s. As the master’s assistant, she selected the models, arranged hairdos, scheduled meetings. One day, he said to her, “Did you know I had a son your age? He’s arriving from Washington today. I set him up for lunch with the most beautiful girl in New York, a Dutch model. And tonight, it’s you. I want to see whom he will fall in love with.” “Me, of course,” replied Kathleen. Eight days later, she was asked to marry him. Eight days after that, she said yes.
Today, she is still married to Henry, who became a famous Princeton scientist. They have two children and three grandchildren. Didn’t I tell you she was hard to catch? Kathleen doesn’t believe in new technologies. Her eye is the lens of her Rolleiflex; her light comes from life and her subjects, people and things she loves. What is really wonderful about her is her anguish. Every shot sends a chill down her spine. Every darkroom session fills her with fear that an accident might ruin her work.
She believes in family. Her most beautiful images are those of her children and her intimate environment. For her, the fantastic world of science intersects the world of poetry. In her portraits of great world figures—as well as those smaller in stature—she quests after a parcel of authenticity that sustains our faith, amid the devastation of history, in humanity and its future. I did say: a great lady.
Roger Thérond
This text by Roger Thérond, former director of Paris-Match, was published in 1990.
Kathleen Blumenfeld, Profession Photographer
From November 9 to December 15, 2016
Le Salon H
8 Rue de Savoie
75006 Paris
France
