Editta Sherman

Editta Sherman (b. 1912, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an Italian-American photographer, often referred to as the "Duchess of Carnegie Hall", since she lived and worked in Carnegie Hall Artist Studios for over 60 years. Originally formed as a diverse artist enclave and bohemian work-live rental studios to financially support Andrew Carnegie's struggling concert hall, Editta's home from the 1940s until 2010 allowed her to be part of a unique artistic community of neighbors. Her life's work consists of thousands of historical large format 8×10 negative camera portrait images taken of celebrities, writers, poets, models, sports heroes, politicians, and many others (including many of the famed former tenants of Carnegie Hall).

Currently at age 98, she lived in Carnegie Hall until July 2010, and continued to work there until September 2010, having become an icon for renter's rights and affordable housing for the elderly in fighting eviction against the City of New York, the current owner of Carnegie Hall. All former residents have now relocated, and The Carnegie Hall Corporation plans to demolish the commercial and residential studios — which in their 1950s Bohemian heyday numbered as many as 170 — to create educational and rehearsal space for the hall. The $200 million project is to be completed in 2014.

Editta was the oldest of eight children born to Nunzio and Pierna Rinaldo, immigrants who moved to the United States from Italy in 1910. Her father operated a photography studio in New Jersey where Editta learned the art at a young age. Editta married in 1935 to husband, Harold Sherman, a sound engineer and inventor, as well as her business partner. He died at the early age of 50 years old, after suffering blindness and diabetes, leaving Editta with five young children to bring up as a single mother. She and her husband were instrumental in raising charity funds for the American Theatre Wing during World War II by volunteering to take portraits of Hollywood stars to aid in the American war effort.

She was a muse of Andy Warhol who filmed her with filmmaker Paul Morrissey in the 1970s.

Editta was a model as well as photographer. She was photographed by famed fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo and symbolized aging gracefully at age 60 years old in his book "On Beauty" in the 1970s. A decade-long collaboration with her long-time friend and neighbor, Bill Cunningham (photographer) (William J. Cunningham, New York Times Fashion Photographer) resulted in the Fashion Institute of Technology /Penguin Books 1978 publication of their book Facades, visually detailing 200 years of fashion and New York City architecture.

In November 1967 Kodak Films sponsored a solo exhibit of Editta's celebrity portraits in a three-week public show at Grand Central Terminal, in New York City.

Editta is the grandmother and great-grandmother to 25 children, and is renowned for her homemade soups which she makes from scratch (and left at her Carnegie Hall neighbors' doors for years).

References

• Robbins, Liz (2010-08-27). "In Apartments Above Carnegie Hall, a Coda for Longtime Residents". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/nyregion/28carnegie.html. Retrieved 2010-08-27. 
• "Carnegie Hall Artist Studios". Editta Sherman website. http://edittasherman.com/inmedia/?p=17. Retrieved 2011-04-24. 
• Cynthia R. Fagen (10-25-09). "Carnegie Gall- Gran, 97, fights eviction". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/carnegie_gall_8AxBMlVW7PIs8fFucbPDhJ. Retrieved 2009-10-25. 
• Ed Pilkington (2009-10-09). "Artists' colony fights plan to convert Carnegie Hall studios". Guardian.co.uk (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/09/artists-carnegie-hall-studios. Retrieved 2009-10-09. 
• Philip Stavrou (2009-01-09). "96-year-old fights to keep $600/month NYC apartment". CTV CANADA. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090109/granny_eviction_090111/20090111?hub=World&s_name=. Retrieved 2009-01-12. 
• Erik Shilling and Clemente Lisi (2008-12-30). "GRANNY IS MAD AS HALL". NEW YORK POST. http://m.nypost.com/ms/p/nyp/nyp/view.m?id=23907&storyid=146490. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
• Ashley Fantz (2008-12-29). "Duchess of Carnegie, 96, refuses to leave home". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/29/carnegie.tenant/index.html. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
• Alex Chadwick (11-07-08). "'Duchess' Demands $10M To Leave Carnegie Hall". NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96741299. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
• Bob Delmonteque (2007). "Photographer to the Stars". Journal of Longevity. Archived from the original on 2008-01-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20080124025109/http://www.journaloflongevity.com/publish/printer_198.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-07. 

External links

• Editta Sherman at the Internet Movie Database

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Name	Sherman, Editta
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Date of birth	1912
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