Profession: photographer

Moholy-Nagy, Kandinsky, Puni, Larionov and Kokoschka were among the Berlin émigré artists he knew before heading for Paris. Kertész, another Hungarian who began as a journalist, inspired him to take up photography. Miller (who wrote about it), Fargue, Prévert and Queneau all accompanied him on nocturnal wanderings. Picasso, Matisse, Giacometti and Dalí were among his Paris artist friends, and Michaux, Reverdy and Mac Orlan among the writers. Picasso took him in his Hispano-Suiza to photograph his sculptures, like Brandt becoming a lifelong friend. Emerson asked for his address to send him a medal.

O’Sullivan was employed as a photographer by Brady and was one of those sent out to cover, memorably, the Civil War. He had probably been taught the process by another of Brady’s employees, Gardner. King, who appears to have got on well with him, invited him on various expeditions in the American West and South-West.

Brady met Morse, almost certainly learning the Daguerrotype process from him, shortly after Morse’s return to New York from Paris. James and Whitman both posed for their portraits with Brady, whose assistants took care of the mechanics of picture-taking, and both wrote afterwards of the encounter. Gardner, O’Sullivan and Barnard were sent out by Brady to record Civil War scenes. Brady himself did not know what his middle initial stood for. Census records suggest that he may in fact have been born in Ireland, rather than New York state as he later asserted.

Steichen was among photographers Miller modelled for before going to Europe; Chaplin was a friend from these times (rumours of an affair — as with Picasso, later — remain unsubstantiated). Cocteau first met her at the club ‘le Boeuf sur le Toit’ and cast her as a statue in one of his films. She became Man Ray’s assistant (discovering the technique of solarisation) and lover; they remained lifelong friends. Éluard, Breton and Miró were among other friends in Paris; Dubuffet and Ernst among those to visit after she moved, finally, to England, where she got Steinberg to tangle with a hose.

Barnard worked for Brady, after running photographic studios of his own. He briefly worked with Eastman later in life.

In her early bohemian days in New York she met Millay (whether they really had an affair is unknown) and posed for Ray. Barnes and Burke shared a house with her. Later in Paris, she became Ray’s assistant — he wanted someone who knew nothing about photography. Through him she befriended Atget, photo’d him, found he’d died when she took the prints around, and made it a lifetime project to get his work known. Noguchi sculpted her head, she photographed him (and many other art-world notables). She and Strand established the radically-oriented Photo League back in New York.