The Philippe Halsman Archive: Halsman Archive File 09 -Victor Hasselblad 1968

Philippe Halsman photographed hundreds of subjects over his decades-long career, and developed closer friendships with several of them. Victor Hasselblad and Halsman had many things in common, but most interestingly they both invented cameras (In the 1930s Halsman invented a twin lens reflex camera). In 1885 Victor Hasselblad’s grandfather met George Eastman (founder of Kodak), and added Eastman Dry Plate & Film Company photography products to his Swedish import trading company. Several years later a new company was formed to focus exclusively on selling Photography products. Like Halsman, Victor was also born in 1906, and both went to study in Dresden in their teens. Victor studied the camera industry and optics and worked in camera and film factories, labs, and shops. Eventually he became the protege of George Eastman in 1926, and moved back to Sweden in 1937. Three years later, during WWII, a German aerial surveillance camera was recovered, and the Swedish Air Force asked Victor to make a similar camera. Within a few months Hasselblad had established a factory and began producing the HK-7, which incorporated revolutionary mechanics and precision for aerial photography. His second version, the SKa4, had a larger negative format and utilized interchangeable film magazines. In 1948 he began to produce the 1600F, a new compact 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 reflex camera for the public. Hasselblad’s reputation grew world wide, and by 1962, NASA sent a modified and lightweight Hasselblad into space. In 1969 a Hasselblad was the first camera on the moon with the Apollo 11 mission, and by the Apollo 17 mission 12 camera bodies had been left behind on the moon. After the 1600F series the 1000F came next, and then in 1957 the 500C series. Halsman owned a 500C, and in personal letters he exchanged with Victor, whom he photographed in 1968, we learn that Halsman’s 100th LIFE cover was shot with a Hasselblad, as was Clint Eastwood for the Magnum Force movie poster. In the archive file we find a contact sheet of portraits of Halsman’s Hasselblad camera with a 150mm lens, and portraits of Victor with one of his cameras. A variation of this portrait is used on the Hasselblad website, which is a tribute to Halsman as a photographer and as a friend.