Ernest Marx:

Nineteenth Century “Instantaneous” Photographer of New York City and Plainfield, New Jersey

Abstract

Born in France, Ernest Marx (1852–1903) had a fascinating life and career as a photographer and photographic innovator in New York City and Plainfield, New Jersey, from the 1880s to the early 1900s, but has become undeservedly obscure. Although he produced a range of work, Marx became renowned for his portraits of horses and stop-action photographs to determine the winner of horse races. Marx also was an early photojournalist who photographed boxing and football when newspapers were just beginning to reproduce photographs in half-tone. His chemical experiments to improve photography led to an explosion in his apartment that he survived to achieve a milestone in artificial light photography. Marx’s career also included operating a notable kosher restaurant in New York. This article seeks to restore Marx’s reputation by exploring his life, work, and intersections with others significant in the history of photography and spectator sports in the early years of photojournalism.