Lotte Jacobi Collection

Lotte Jacobi is an important figure in the history of photography. Jacobi had a long and prestigious career, capturing images over an almost 80-year period, from 1908 to 1986, throughout various parts of the world including Berlin, the Soviet Union, New York City, and the state of New Hampshire. She is famous for her black and white theater and dance images and portraits of prominent 20^th century figures. Her photographs are notable for their intimacy, and the personal qualities that she reveals in the faces of her subjects. She also pioneered an abstract photo form called "photogenics," a cameraless photography in which she exposed photosensitive paper to light to create abstract images. Jacobi spent the last 30 years of her life residing in Deering, N.H., where she opened a new studio, continuing her own work and displaying works by other artists. UNH awarded Jacobi an honorary doctorate of fine arts in 1973.

Before her death in 1990 at the age of 93, she bequeathed 47,000 negatives, several hundred study and exhibition prints, three portfolios, letters, catalogues, documents, and other printed material to UNH. These materials are housed in Special Collections and Archives at UNH’s Dimond Library. 

As the unit of UNH responsible for commercializing the universities intellectual assets, UNHInnovation works closely with archivists to license a number of these images for use in domestic and foreign documentaries, books, and art shows throughout the world. The revenue received from these licenses supports the maintenance and digitalization of the collection, and helps to preserve these extremely important images. 

View Collection on Elucid

For information about licensing the Lotte Jacobi images or for general questions about the collection, please contact unh.innovation@unh.edu.

Please note that the standard processing time for an order is 5 - 10 business days. Orders may be expedited for an additional service fee.