Soft launch: Soldier biographies and research notes vary in completeness. Prefer class-roster, NARA, newspapers, and other cited sources for contested facts — treat Research notes as leads, not settled history. Anyone can correct a page; contact us with questions.
David Robert Seymour
| David Robert Seymour | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Dawid Szymin |
| Born | 20 November 1911 Warsaw, Congress Poland |
| Died | 1956 El Qantara, Egypt |
| Nativity | Poland |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Known for | Photographer, Photo Journalist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32524843 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 5 (8 February – 9 April 1943) |
| Section | 2 |
| Enlisted | Ft Jay Governors Island, New York |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
David Seymour (born Dawid Szymin; November 20, 1911 – November 10, 1956), or Chim (pronounced shim, an abbreviation of the surname "Szymin"), was a Polish photographer and photojournalist.
Biography[edit | edit source]
David Seymour (born Dawid Szymin; November 20, 1911 – November 10, 1956), or Chim (pronounced shim, an abbreviation of the surname "Szymin"), was a Polish photographer and photojournalist.
Chim was known for his images from the Spanish Civil War, for co-founding Magnum Photos with Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and George Rodger, and for his project "Children of War" with UNICEF that captured the plight of children in the aftermath of World War II.
He became president of Magnum after Capa's death in 1954 and held this post until his own death in 1956 by Egyptian machinegun fire in the aftermath of the Suez Crisis.
Chim was born to Polish Jewish parents in Warsaw in 1911. In 1914 Chim and his parents emigrated to Odessa just as World War I had begun. In 1919 they returned to Warsaw. Chim studied graphic arts in Leipzig and then traveled to Paris to study at the Sorbonne.
Thumbnail|right|A Disturbed Child in a Warsaw Orphanage, 1948, by Chim. Identified as Teresa Adwentowska by a pair of Polish researchers It was while Chim was studying at the Sorbonne in Paris that he became interested in photography. He began working as a freelance journalist in 1933. His first "credited" published photograph appeared in 1934 in the magazine Regards.
Between 1936 and 1938 Chim covered the Spanish Civil War (alongside colleague Robert Capa) and other international political events. In February 1935 Chim was sent to Spain by Regards to report on crucial issues there. Twenty five of his stories on Spain ended up being published in Regards. Inge Bondi, Chim scholar, said: Chim's heart had always gone out to children, and they reacted to him with complete acceptance. They seemed oblivious of him, but he noticed every little movement, every little pain, every little pleasure. There is no artifice, no bravura of lighting expertise in Chim's photographs of the children. They speak simply from his pictures, as if alive. This intellectual, so adept at analyzing the most complex political situations, so comfortable photographing heads of state, produced his greatest photographs to help children in need.
Between 1949 and 1955 Chim travelled extensively throughout Europe and Israel, fulfilling assignments for major publications in Europe and the United States.
On November 10, 1956, Chim was killed while driving to photograph an exchange of wounded soldiers at El Quantara (along with French photographer Jean Roy) by Egyptian machinegun fire four days after the armistice of the 1956 Suez Crisis, ten days before his 45th birthday.
Chim's work remains available by way of Magnum Photos and his estate is managed by nephew Ben Shneiderman and niece Helen Sarid. Major holdings of Chim's work are at New York's International Center of Photograpy archives and Washington, DC's Library of Congress, which has 1100+ photos online in the David Seymour (CHIM) Photograph Collection.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- Noted Photographer "Chim"
- OB 4; PI 2
- Famous photographer known as "Chim"
Gallery[edit | edit source]
After you are autoconfirmed, upload a photo and add [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|caption]] here, or set |photo=Example.jpg in the infobox.
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 45 |
| Nara ASN | 32524843 |
| Nara Name | SEYMOUR DAVID R |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2327 |
| Nara DOE | 91042 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | BI |
| Nara Branch Code | 0 |
| Branch | Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 5 |
| Term of enlistment | Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | N0 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 11 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 56 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 65 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 165 |
| Class_ASN | 32524843 |
| Class_Name | SZYMIN, David |
| match_method | pass2_asn_first |
| row_source | both |
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Wikipedia: David Seymour (photographer)
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)