| Names: | Born: Mendel John Diness
Other: M.J. Diness
Other: Mendel J. Diness
Other: Mendenhall John Dennis
|
| | Active: | Israel and Palestine / US |
He was a watchmaker in Jerusalem and learnt photography from the Scottish missionary James Graham in the 1850s. He later converted to Christianity and settled in the United States where he became a preacher.
Stereographs project
Business locations
Jerusalem, Israel and Palestine
Cincinnati, OH, US
[5-9] [AKA Deniss, Dennis] B. Cornwall, England 27; father was Jewish merchant who moved to Odessa, Russia in 30. As teenager was taught watchmaking;
studied at Heidelberg Univ. & starting in 49, at a
yeshiva in Jerusalem. There he began associating
with foreigners & converted to Christianity.
Ostracized by the Jews he turned to photography,
using equipment & knowledge provided by missionary
James Graham. Being the only photog. in town he did
well, selling his views in England as well. Went to
US in 60, working as watchmaker & photographer in
Cincinnati area & lecturing & preaching. He worked
alone as well as in partnerships with H.S. Bosworth
& Benjamin S. Fry. A collection of his images &
documentary material has survived & is at the Israel
Museum, Jerusalem, including about 80 stereo images,
all from the Holy Land. His work is in general more
personal rather than the standard documentary
approach of European photographers, and is of fine
quality. D. Cincinnati, 90. SEE Nissan Perez,
"Mendel John Diness, Photographer in Jerusalem",
1996.
T.K. Treadwell & William C. Darrah (Compiled by), Wolfgang, Sell (Updated by), 11/28/2003, Photographers of the World (Non-USA), (National Stereoscopic Association) |
| Credit: National Stereoscopic Association with corrections and additions by Alan Griffiths and others. |
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Preparing biographies
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