Pauline Kruger Hamilton

Pauline Kruger Hamilton (1870 – July 8, 1918)[3][4] was an American photographer who served as royal court photographer in Vienna, Austria.[1][5]

Pauline Kruger Hamilton
Pauline Kruger Hamilton in 1893
Born1870 (1870)
Middleton, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedJuly 8, 1918
New York City City[1][2]
NationalityAmerican
OccupationPhotographer

Biography

Her first husband, Frank Hamilton, killed a man in a quarrel and died of tuberculosis soon after being released from prison. After his death, she moved to Vienna to study painting, took up photography and became friends with Archduke Friedrich. For five years, thanks to the patronage of Franz Joseph I, she served as the official royal court photographer.[3] She was a friend of feminist activist May Wright Sewall and corresponded with her from Germany.[6]

She returned to the United States in 1915 to advocate for support for the widows and orphans of World War I. [7] Her photo of a child in Austria was used for the 1919 American Red Cross annual campaign and membership drive.[2]

Later in her life she was suspected of being a spy, followed by federal agents, and died before charges could be proved. Suspicious that she might be attempting to fake her own death, the Department of Justice sent officials to her funeral who verified that hers was the body in the coffin.[3]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pauline Kruger Hamilton.
  1. "Pauline Hamilton Dead in New York". Star Tribune. July 9, 1918. p. 8. Retrieved July 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. "Over Here? Heart gripping picture used to maker poster to stimulate annual membership roll call campaign". Great Falls Daily Tribune. November 2, 1919.
  3. Marguerite Mooers Marshall (July 12, 1918). "The Romantic Life History of Pauline Kruger Hamilton: A sheaf of fiction plots". The evening world. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  4. David Kyger. "A Snapshot of Pauline Kruger Hamilton". Zither.us. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  5. Marguerite Moeers Marshall (June 11, 1915). "Has Glorious Figure, Lovely Face, Free Spirit and Knows how to wear her clothes". The Evening World.
  6. "Letter from Pauline Kruger Hamilton to May Wright Sewall".
  7. "Ambassador from War Babies to United States". The Day Book. June 22, 1915.
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