1897
Born in Berlin on 26 January to Jewish parents, Emma (Cohn) and Albert Blumenfeld.

1903
Enrolls at the Askanisches Gymnasium in Berlin. Meets artist Paul Citroën.

1907
Given first camera and begins to take photographs.

1913–16
Finishes his formal education and leaves with secondary-school certificate. Father Albert dies in April 1913. Works as an apprentice dress designer at Moses and Schlochauer in Berlin.

1915
Has first contact with the Dadaists, befriends George Grosz.

1916
Meets Lena Citroën, cousin of Paul Citroën. Writes poetry, draws and plans to become an actor.

1917–18
Serves in World War I as an ambulance driver for the German Army. Plans to desert to Holland but is arrested. After the war he returns to Holland to join Lena.

1918–23
Associated with the Berlin Dadaists.

1921
Marries Lena Citroën.

1922
The first of their three children, Lisette is born.

1923
Opens the ‘Fox Leather Company’, specialising in handbags in Amsterdam.

1925
Their second child, Heinz is born.

1932
Their third child, Frank Yorick is born. The ‘Fox Leather Company’ moves premises. He discovers a darkroom and begins to photograph female customers. Exhibits at the Kunstzaal van Lier in Amsterdam and submits work to the Ullstein Verlag publishing house in Berlin for appraisal, without success.

1934
Second exhibition of photographs at Kuunstzaal van Lier. Works as Still photographer on Jacques Feyder’s ‘Pension Mimosas’.

1935
The ‘Fox Leather Company’ goes bankrupt. First few photographs are published in ‘Photographie’. Exhibits at the Esher Surrey Art Galleries in The Hague. Work is included in a group exhibition organized by Paul Citröen at the Niewew Kuntschool in Amsterdam alongside Man Ray and Mondrian. Meets George Rouault’s daughter Geneviève.

1936
Moves to Paris. Geneviève helps to secure clients for portraits including Georges Rouault and Henri Matisse. Takes on advertising work for clients including Mon Savon and exhibits his portraits at Galerie Billiet, Paris.

1937
First magazine cover for the February edition of Votre Beauté. Photographs published in Verve, Photographie and around 50 photographs are sold to Coronet.

1938
Meets Cecil Beaton who secures him a contract at Vogue. Photographs appear in October edition of French Vogue.

1939
Leaves Vogue and secures a contract with Harper’s Bazaar to cover Parisian fashion. Works in Marin Munkacsi’s studio.

1940–41
Interned in concentration camps in Montbard-Marmagne, Loriol-sur-Drôme and Vernet d’Ariège, France.

1941
Moves to New York and shares studio with Martin Munkácsi. Publishes his first colour cover for the December issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

1944
Leaves Harper’s Bazaar to work as a freelance photographer for American Vogue. Over the next fifteen years, Blumenfeld’s work appears in high-profile fashion and photography magazines including Vogue, Seventeen, Glamour and House & Garden. Begins to work on advertising with clients including Helana Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden.

1944–45
Work appears on the covers of Condé Nast publications and other magazines.

1947
A selection of his personal work is included in ‘In and Out of Focus: A Survey of Today’s Photography’, curated by Edward Steichen at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

1948
Work included in ‘Seventeen American Photographers’ at the Los Angeles Museum.

1950
‘The Doe Eye’ is published as the cover for American Vogue and becomes his best-known photograph.

1952
Works as photographer for the Oval Room of the Dayton Department Store in Minneapolis.

1955
Begins to work on his autobiography entitled ‘Einbildungsroman’. Kathleen Lévy-Barnett becomes his agent. Experiments with printing Cibachrome photographs.

1962
Experiments with making motion pictures hoping to use them commercially.

1963
Secures his final major client, L’Oreal.

1969
Completes his autobiography and selects the images for his proposed book, ‘My One Hundred Best Photos’. Dies in Rome on 4th July.