Erich Auerbach

The younger son, Erich, who was born in Falkenau on December 12, 1911, was educated in Karlsbad and Prague Uiversity Collegium Musicum. He worked part-time as a music critic for the German language daily Prager Tagblatt to gelkp defray the cost of his studies. He eventually switched to a career in journalism and photography, although music remained his lifelong passion. His first professionbal camera --- a gift from his father --- enabled Erich to document the land and people of Czechoslovakia. He said the great German photojournalist, Erich Salomon, was the inspiration behind his work. Erich Auerbach said Erich Salomon “taught me though we never met.” Erich Auerbach was already well established as a journalist and photographer long before World War II began. He worked for major Czech newspapers in Prague and his photographs were published throughout Europe. In the summer of 1939he escaped on foot from Czechoslovakia into Poland and from there his contacts in the British press helped him get to England. He worked for the Czechoslovak government in exile in London during the war. On February 8, 1946, Jan Masaryk, Czechosxlovak Minister for Foreign Affairs, wrote the following recommendation about Erich Auerbach: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN This is to certify that Erich Auerbah worked in the Photographic Division, Department of Information, Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as chief government photographer from April 1941 to July 1945. His duties comprised taking pictures of the President, Government activities and the war effort. Mr. Auerbach built up the Ministry’s Photographic Library from a few odd prints to comprise almost 300 files with several thousand photographs and negatives. He showed Czechoslovak photographs at the London Salon and the Royal Photographic Society, which made him an Associate; and he had a one-man show of 50 photographs “People of Czechoslovakia” at the Ilford Galleries, London, which later toured the country Mr. Auerbach left when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs closed down after the liberation of Czechoslovakia. In a letter to a friend, Erich Auerbach wrote, “With all its setbacks and eternal struggles, photography is a lovely thing, and I feel a warm satisfactionafter such a day’s work.” After the war he did not return home to Prague and Falkenau. He settled in London where in 1946 he gave up his Czech citizenship, married in 1946, became a British citizen in 1947, and became a famous photographer and published books with character studies. From 1955 until 1977 Erich Auerbach combined his love of music and photograpohy as a freelance, taking photographs of most of the great composers, conductors and musicians. In 1971, his first book, An Eye for Music, was published. He died in London in 1977 at the age of 65, survived by his widow, Lizzy, and their daughter, Monica Beaumont. His daughter has been the caretaker of her father’s photographs, and in 1996 an additional volume of Erich Auerbach’s photographs, Images of Music, was produced by the Hulton Getty Picture Collection Ltd, which holds the copyright to his musical archive.. In 2005, his newly discovered collection, “London Calling – Czecholovak Government in Exile, 1939-1945,” was exhibited inb Prague as part of its commemoration of the 60th anniversary odf the end of World War II.

[https://photos.geni.com/p13/c7/d6/cb/94/5344483f73d3526b/falkenau_jewish_families_original.pdf]

1st Marriage record: PRAHA 2731 O 1935 (i) (7/19)