Spotlight: Gerda Taro

Gerta Pohorylle 1910 – 1937, known professionally as Gerda Taro, was a Jewish war photographer born in Germany and active during the Spanish Civil War.

She worked along side and shared, briefly, the professional alias of ‘Robert Capa’ with fellow Jewish photographer, Endre Friedmann: a move designed for them to both attract the American market and circumnavigate the increasing European political intolerance. Friedmann became famous under the name Robert Capa (his photograph ‘The Kiss of Life’ being one just of the most well-known) but we now know that many of the photos said to have been taken by Capa (Friedmann) between 1935-1937 were in fact take by Taro.

A talented photojournalist her career lasted all of 2 years before tragically her life was cut short, aged 27, whilst covering the frontline at the Battle of Brunete. After sharing a trench with a group of militia, they were forced to retreat. Gerda hopped onto the running board of a car carrying wounded soldiers and an insurgent tank appeared, suddenly, colliding with the car. Taro was taken to hospital but died soon afterwards from her injuries. The photograph below, released in 2018, is said to be of Taro on her deathbed, being treated by a doctor.

Gerda Taro being treated by Janos Kiszely, a volunteer doctor from Hungary

Despite her short life and career, her legacy lives on through the many captivating photographs she took of scenes of war, revealing aspects of conflicts that would have been left unknown without her.

Republicans in front of city sign, Brunete, Spain

Spanish civil war (1936-1939) Girl at the Traffic Refugee Center in Barcelona

Republican militiawoman training on a beach outside of Barcelona, 1936

Crowd at the morgue gates following a bombing in Valencia, 1937