PEPA FELDSCHAREK
(1899-1962)
Born on 8th June 1899, Pepa Feldscharek graduated from the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt in 1918 and opened her own photo studio in 1920 with her fellow classmate - Melanie Heller (1899-) - at Fischerstiege 9/Salzgries 11-18 in Vienna. The studio, which she would manage independently from 1922 onwards, specialized in fashion photography, dance photography and portraits of actors. Feldscharek’s photographs were often featured in popular magazines such as Die Bühne, Moderne Welt, Die Dame, Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung, Wiener Magazin and Müncher Illustrierte Presse. Her photographs were also exhibited in 1932 at the I Biennale Internazionale d’Arte fotografica in Rome. However, Feldscharek – who was of Jewish origin – fled Austria in 1938 following the country’s Anschluss with Nazi Germany. Changing her name to Josefine Schreier, she moved to New York before living in Narberth (Pennsylvania) in the late 1940s and settling in Gloucester (Massachusetts) where she died on 21st August 1962.