Time now to look back at the pioneering work of Albert Witzel, portrait photographer to the Hollywood stars of the silent age!

Photo: Melva Cornell

Albert Witzel was born in Deadwood in 1879. In 1886 he started work in George Stekel’s California photography studio.

Photo: Theda Bara

Learning his craft from Steckel, Albert Witzel opened his own portrait photography studio in 1902 in Los Angeles.

Photo: Jane Novak

At first Albert Witzel worked on publicity stills for actors based in California, a lucrative market in the early 1900s.

Photo: Nora Kerin

In 1913 Albert Witzel began specialising in publicity photos for the early Hollywood studios. His fame soon spread.

Photo: Lottie Pickford

The quality of Albert Witzel's work is astounding. It's no surprise that Hollywood flocked to his doorstep!

Photo: Marguerite De La Motte

The Albert Witzel studios continued long after their founders death in 1929, and long after the silent movie era ended.

Photo: Bessie Love

The quality of Witzel's work is astounding, particularly when you consider the technical challenges of portrait photography at the time.

Photo: Lillian Gish

More from the Silent Era another time...

Photo: Jewel Carmen