b. 1870; d. 1957
Richard Polak was born in Holland. His photographic career was short, starting in 1912 and ending three years later because he suffered from bad health. He sought to imitate the work of painters such as Vermeer, and some of his work imitates early Dutch paintings. He found it difficult to rent a suitable studio in Rotterdam, but eventually discovered the ideal room, with a good north light, the only drawback being that one had to approach it through a trap door. He then spent a considerable amount of money furnishing this with accessories bought at antique shops.
His folio of pictures, "Photographs from Life in Old Dutch Costume" contains many repetitive and frankly unsuccessful attempts at recreating scenes from the past. At worst his work may be seen as that of someone with more money than sense, but there is nevertheless a quaintness in his work which makes his contribution worth mentioning.
His best-known picture is "Artist and his Model" (1914)
In January 1915 he was elected to the London Salon of Photography. His photographic career was a short one; he had to give it up for health reasons.
© Robert Leggat, 1999.