New York

1939–1941

Breaks with Coronet and Vogue

In 1939 Coronet, which had published him since 1937, excludes him from its special issue of “Most memorable photographs”, and he severs all ties to the magazine and its editor Arnold Gingrich; after being left out of Vogue’s June 1941 photography issue he breaks off relations with that magazine too, although he had contributed more than 30 commissioned photo essays and articles to Vogue and House and Garden together.

1941

Designated enemy aliens

Because of the war the Kertész couple are designated enemy aliens (Hungary is fighting on the side of the Axis powers); he is not permitted to photograph outdoors or to have any project related to national security. Trying to avoid trouble, since Elizabeth has started a cosmetics company, Cosmia Laboratories, he ceases commissioned work and essentially disappears from the photographic world for three years.

3 February 1944

Becomes a US citizen

Elizabeth becomes a US citizen on 20 January and Kertész is naturalized on 3 February 1944; despite competition from photographers such as Irving Penn he regains commissioned work: he is omitted from the list of 63 photographers Vogue identifies as significant in its “photographic genealogical tree”, but House and Garden commissions him to photograph a Christmas issue.

June 1944

Declines to teach at the New Bauhaus

László Moholy-Nagy, director of the New Bauhaus – American School of Design, offers him a position teaching photography; despite the honour, Kertész turns it down.

1945

“Day of Paris” is published

He releases a new book, Day of Paris, made up of photographs taken just before his emigration from France; it gains critical success.