Maurice Seymour Pt. 3: The Plot Thickens
Quick recap: In Austin, Texas, I bought a strange and lovely old (1940s?) 8×10 glossy of an anonymous dancer. I Googled the photographer’s name (his credit was on the print) and discovered he was a very prolific, abundantly talented Chicago photographer, who shot not only local entertainers, but also world class celebrities like Harry Belafonte and Tony Bennett, not to mention German synth rock pioneers Kraftwerk (!).
After posting here about the portrait and photographer, my friend David Kodeski sent me a message pointing out that Seymour’s son Ron Seymour is also a professional photographer, whose studio is less than a mile from my own. I had heard of Ron Seymour and walked by his studio many times, but I didn’t make the ‘Seymour’ connection when I got the print.
The top marker is my studio; bottom marker is Ron Seymour’s place. Small world indeed.
The december 06 issue of Chicago Magazine has a little primer piece on local (i.e. Chicago) photographers of note. Concerning MS, it says “Maurice Seymour was actually two brothers: Maurice (1900-93) and Seymour (1902-95) Zeldman. Born in Russia, the pair came to Chicago in 1920, and nine years later opened their own studio-Maurice Seymour-atop the St. Clair Hotel. Bestowing a dramatically highlighted glamour on the city, they photographed film, theatre, and radio stars, judges and politicians, and the international luminaries of ballet, beginning, in 1934, with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. When Seymour Zeldman moved to New York in the 1950s, both men legally changed their names to Maurice Seymour and continued to photograph into the 1970s.”
The later work, especially from New York, tends to be more of down-market cabaret hopefuls and strippers, than arty ballerinas, though images nowadays seem to be harder to find on the web than they were a few years ago, compared with the ballet and TV/film promotional shots (google filtering, perhaps?).
I am maurice seymours daughter, tatiana.My Uncle Maury, my father’s brother, was the retoucher and worked in the darkroom.MY FATHER, whom you seem to be confusing with his brother,took way more then caberet hopefuls, etc.If you want to call Ray Charles,Celeste Holm, among others,mere casual celebrities at the time, YOU ARE WRONG.My father, Seymour Zeldman was the eye behind the lens.He and My Uncle maury were as close as any two brothers could be.It was maury’s wife and my aunt , Sonia, who convinced my Uncle to change his name to Maurice SEYMOUR, which my father did first!She was jealous of the publicity my father gained while her husband worked just as hard in the darkroom retouching and wanted him to get the credit.That is how both brothers came to use the same name.They stayed close, despite the rift my Aunt could have caused.My father moved to NY, where the culture and ballet…the American ballet theatre for one, were readily available as were all the upcoming groups such as Diana Ross and the Supremes , among thousands of others.His ballet books and photograp[hy, paved the way for the future, and to this day, his books on ballet are entrusted and his photos and Publicity stills used.Oh, and by the way…He met my mother when her agent sent her for marquis shots when she landed the role of AnnieOakley” in Annie Get your Gun,on broadway…they were m,arried 47 yrs and my father remained close to his brother maury , whom we often visited in Hollywood ,FLorida where he and my aunt Sonya retired.Get your facts staright!sincerely, tatiana Seymour Roveda,Jackson, NJ