Creator Record
Metadata
Name |
Julius Caesar Stauss |
Dates & places of birth and death |
Born: 1857 (Cleveland, OH) Died: 1924 |
Notes |
Julius Caesar Strauss was St. Louis’ preeminent society photographer. He also had an international reputation as one of the foremost artistic photographers of his time. After a short apprenticeship, he opened a studio in downtown St. Louis in 1880, and through hard work, talent, and a magnetic personality, quickly made it into a successful business. Soon his customers included the wealthiest, most fashionable citizens of the city. In 1897, Strauss opened a new, elaborate studio at the corner of Grand and Franklin. J.C. Strauss was a leader in the larger photographic world. He claimed to have made the first photograph using artificial light in 1883, a shot of a marble bust at the Southern Hotel. He was an active member of the newly formed Photographers Association of America. Under his leadership, the group persuaded the organizers of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition to designate photography as a fine art, rather than a liberal art, for the first time at an American exposition. Strauss won many awards and prizes at exhibitions large and small, and became a member of the French Academy of Beaux-Arts in 1904. In 1912, Strauss donated about 250 portraits of prominent St. Louisans to the St. Louis Public Library. After J.C.’s death, his son Louis headed the studio until 1940, when he closed the business and moved to Los Angeles. |
