EISENSTAEDT, Alfred (1898-1995), photographer. A photograph of workers repairing the hull of the Graf Zeppelin during a flight over the Atlantic. N.p. 1934 (but printed c. 1989).

11 x 14 in. gelatin silver print showing four workers atop the hull of the airship LS 127 Graf Zeppelin (approximate 2" abrasion with minor accompanying loss at far left of image). Provenance: The artist (artist's identifying stamp); Lufthansa, U.S.; sold to a private collector, Chicago; acquired Heritage Auction Galleries New York, 11 October 2017, sale 5328 lot 73130.

Alfred Eisenstaedt began his professional career as a photographer in Germany in 1929, and within a year was being hailed as a "photographer extraordinaire." Oppression in Hitler's Germany caused Eisenstaedt and his family to flee to the United States. During the V-J Day celebrations in Times Square Eisenstaedt took what is considered to be one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century, V-J Day in Times Square.