Eickemeyer, Rudolf. In My Studio: Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. and the Art of the Camera 1885-1930 by Mary Panzer.

Hudson River Museum, 1986. Wraps, near fine.  Exhibition catalog, including checklist of 114 items on view at the Hudson River Museum, December 3, 1986 - February 3, 1987.   92 illustrations (some full page), chronology, and bibliography. Foreword by Estelle Jussim. Biography by Mary Panzer.  Not issued with ISBN number.

Eickemeyer was a leading Pictorialist photographer in the 1890s and early 1900s and one of the first two Americans admitted to The Linked Ring, along with Alfred Stieglitz.  He was a pioneer in the field of large format photography books, such as his portrayal of African Americans in Down South (1900).  He also was a very successful portrait photographer in New York, working some of the time in partnership with Charles Davis and at a different stage in his career, operating Alfred S. Campbell's gallery.  His widely reproduced photograph of Evelyn Nesbit on a bearskin rug is reproduced on the book's cover.  Summary:

In My Studio: Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. and the Art of the Camera 1885–1930 (1986) by Mary Panzer is a scholarly restoration of the reputation of one of America’s first "celebrity" photographers. Panzer traces Eickemeyer’s transition from a successful industrialist to a world-renowned Pictorialist, illustrating how he bridged the gap between the amateur camera club movement and the professional world of commercial high-art.

Core Themes and Narrative

• The Professionalization of Art: Panzer highlights Eickemeyer as a pioneer who proved that photography could be a lucrative "Art-Business." He was one of the first to have solo exhibitions in galleries while simultaneously shooting high-end commercial portraits and advertisements.

• The Cult of Beauty: The narrative focuses on Eickemeyer’s obsession with idealized forms—from his famous "socialite" portraits (including Evelyn Nesbit) to his meticulously composed landscapes. He believed the camera should "improve" upon nature through careful composition.

• Technical Mastery as Art: Unlike some Pictorialists who relied on blurry "accidents," Panzer shows that Eickemeyer’s technical success was rooted in his deep understanding of optics, possibly a byproduct of his background in his father’s precision tool and die business.

Visual and Technical Notes

• The "Painterly" Finish: Eickemeyer was a master of the platinum print, which offered a soft, matte, and permanent "finish" that mimicked the tonal qualities of a charcoal drawing.

• Studio artifice: The look of his portraits was often achieved through elaborate set dressing. He used the studio as a "controlled stage," using light to create a luminous, ethereal glow on his subjects’ skin that felt both classical and modern.