Mark Gerson, Photographer of Literary Giants, Dies at 104

Mark Gerson, the British photographer renowned for his perceptive portraits of writers including Evelyn Waugh, Doris Lessing, and the Faber poets, has died at 104. Gerson's career began after World War II, and he became the go-to photographer for British publishers seeking author portraits. His most famous image captured the notoriously grumpy Evelyn Waugh on his 60th birthday, laughing in his garden between two sphinxes after Gerson had been plied with wine. Another iconic photograph, taken at a Faber party on 23 June 1960, shows poets Stephen Spender, WH Auden, TS Eliot, Louis MacNeice, and Ted Hughes; notably absent is Sylvia Plath, who was making tea and not yet famous. Gerson was born in London to a Jewish family, studied photography at Regent Street Polytechnic, and served as a radio operator in the RAF, visiting Buchenwald after VE Day. He always photographed subjects in their own surroundings, gaining their trust by reading their books. His work is held by the National Portrait Gallery, which held a major exhibition of his portraits, 'Literati', in 1996. Gerson preferred black-and-white photography and worked with Rolleiflex cameras until his retirement. He is survived by two daughters, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren; his wife Renee died in 2024.