# John Engstead

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**John Engstead** (22 September 1909 - 15 April 1983[1]) was an American [photographer](/source/Photographer). Engstead was born in [California](/source/California), and began his career in 1926, when he was hired as an office boy by [Paramount Pictures](/source/Paramount_Pictures)' head of studio publicity, Harold Harley.

In 1927, Engstead pleased his boss by arranging a photo session for actress [Clara Bow](/source/Clara_Bow) with photographer Otto Dyar using an outdoor setting which was unusual at that time. Engstead's creative direction of photographs of actress [Louise Brooks](/source/Louise_Brooks) led to a promotion to art supervisor, where he oversaw the production of Paramount's publicity stills.

In 1932, due to a strike by photographers, Engstead assumed the position of studio portrait photographer, despite having never previously photographed anyone. Actor [Cary Grant](/source/Cary_Grant) posed for his practice shots. He returned to his job as art supervisor after the strike was resolved.

In 1941, Paramount Pictures fired Engstead, and *[Harper's Bazaar](/source/Harper's_Bazaar)* hired him for freelance advertising and portrait photography assignments. From 1941 to 1949, he took fashion photography assignments from numerous other magazines, including *[Collier's](/source/Collier's)*, *[Esquire](/source/Esquire_(magazine))*, *[House Beautiful](/source/House_Beautiful)*, *[Ladies Home Journal](/source/Ladies_Home_Journal)*, *[Life](/source/Life_(magazine))*, *[Look](/source/Look_(American_magazine))*, *[Mademoiselle](/source/Mademoiselle_(magazine))*, *[McCall's](/source/McCall's)*, *[Vogue](/source/Vogue_(magazine))*, and *[Women's Home Companion](/source/Women's_Home_Companion)*.

In the 1940s, Engstead photographed many celebrities, including [Joan Crawford](/source/Joan_Crawford), [Bette Davis](/source/Bette_Davis), [Maureen O'Hara](/source/Maureen_O'Hara) and [Shirley Temple](/source/Shirley_Temple). Unlike other photographers, he often shot his subjects at home or outdoors, and his portraits of [Judy Garland](/source/Judy_Garland) in [Carmel, California](/source/Carmel,_California) were particularly successful. During this decade, he built a studio in Los Angeles that became a gathering place for celebrities.

Engstead continued to photograph movie stars and other celebrities through the 1950s ([Marilyn Monroe](/source/Marilyn_Monroe) or [Marlene Dietrich](/source/Marlene_Dietrich)) and 1960s. He produced promotional material for many television personalities, including [Pat Boone](/source/Pat_Boone), [Carmel Quinn](/source/Carmel_Quinn), [Donna Reed](/source/Donna_Reed), [Ozzie and Harriet](/source/Ozzie_and_Harriet), [Eve Arden](/source/Eve_Arden), and [Lucille Ball](/source/Lucille_Ball). He also shot cover photos for albums recorded by singers such as [Peggy Lee](/source/Peggy_Lee) and [Connie Francis](/source/Connie_Francis), as well as society portraits. His work extended into governmental figures in the 1950s, including then-[Second Lady](/source/Second_Lady_of_the_United_States) [Pat Nixon](/source/Pat_Nixon). Engstead closed his studio in 1970 but continued to accept special portrait and television assignments until his death in [West Hollywood, California](/source/West_Hollywood,_California), in 1984 at age 72.[2] Engstead's images are represented by the [Motion Picture and Television Photo Archive](/source/Motion_Picture_and_Television_Photo_Archive) and can be viewed by the public at MPTV.net [\[1\]](http://www.mptv.net/)

## References

1. ["California Death Records" *vitals.rootsweb.ancestry.com*](http://vitals.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ca/death/search.cgi?surname=Engstead&given=) 29 June 2010

1. ["John Engstead"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070208053152/http://www.mptv.net/main/main_elements/engsteadbio.html). *Motion Picture and Television Photo Archive*. Archived from [the original](http://www.mptv.net/main/main_elements/engsteadbio.html) on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-02-14.

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