author
Emil Mayer
1871–1938
A Viennese lawyer-turned-photographer, he captured everyday city life with unusual warmth and sharp observation. His practical writing on photographic techniques also helped spread processes like bromoil printing to a wider audience.
1 Audiobook
Bromoil printing and bromoil transfer
by Emil Mayer
About the author
Born in Bohemia in 1871 and later based in Vienna, Emil Mayer studied law at the University of Vienna and first worked as an attorney before devoting himself more fully to photography. He became known for street scenes, portraits, and views of ordinary urban life, bringing an alert, humane eye to the changing city around him.
Alongside his photographic work, he was also active as an inventor and entrepreneur in the photo industry. He wrote instructional books on photographic methods, including bromoil printing, which helped make specialized darkroom techniques more accessible to photographers.
Mayer died in Vienna in 1938. Today he is remembered both for the artistic quality of his photographs and for the vivid record they preserve of everyday life in early twentieth-century Vienna.