Frey, Elizabeth, 1926- : Elizabeth Frey, born March 13, 1926 in Breslau, Germany. Studied photography under Fritz Eschen and Ewald Gnilka in Berlin. Arrived in Canada in 1951 with her mother, sister and brother, settling in Toronto, ON.
Frey began working for magazine Industrial Pictures after a friend in Berlin had provided her with a contact in Toronto who knew the company was looking for a darkroom assistant. At Industrial Pictures she worked under Dave Galloway and was soon sent on photographic assignments with a 4X5 Speed Graphic. Her first assignment was to photograph the Toronto harbourfront. When Industrial Pictures reduced its staff Frey was let go and with Galloway's help took up an assignment working for the Canadian Red Cross producing photographs for its communication products. In addition to the Red Cross, for whom Frey would complete assignments for many years, she also found work with Trans Canada Airlines, Maclean-Hunter, the National Ballet and the Globe and Mail. Her work appeared in print in international publications such as the New York Times, Leica Magazine (English edition) and the German Red Cross publications.
Although Frey was well-launched into her freelance career, she declined an offer of full-time employment on staff with a Chicago-based newspaper in hopes that she could find comparable work in Canada. She would continue working freelance in Canada, but never found a permanent position in Canadian newspapers. Frey believes that this was due to the general lack of women working in photojournalism at this time, especially in Canada. However as a freelance photographer, her work appeared regularly in newspapers such as the Toronto Telegram, the Star Weekly and in international publications such as Der Spiegel.
In 1960, the West German Consulate General issued invitations to Canadian journalists and Elizabeth Frey was asked to assist in the selection of who among Canadian journalists would participate in a guided visit. Frey suggested Olive Dickason then of the Globe and Mail (it was Dickason's first trip to Europe). Later, Olive Dickason and Frey traveled to East Germany and the Soviet Union on similar excursions. While in East Germany, in 1967, Frey was given permission to photograph Helene Weigel (widow of Bertolt Brecht) during a press conference. This photograph would be the single image that fetched the most money for Frey- $300 US from Der Spiegel. Frey's freelance work brought her to many international locations including Vietnam, India and Israel.
In 1961, Frey was sent to Cuba to document the Cuban education system for the Star Weekly. Having the opportunity to meet Fidel Castro, she captured many close-range portraits of the President.
In the mid-1960s, Frey both photographed and wrote articles when the story of John D Laun broke in the Canadian media. Laun was founder of the "Piggyland" farm, a fraudulent investment scheme which duped many Canadians. Frey's involvement in this story exemplifies her interest in activities affecting the German-Canadian community.
Because of a lifelong love of art, Frey enjoyed working as a photographer for numerous artists, most notably sculptors. For artists such as Mary Hecht, Anne Mirvish, Dora de Pedery Hunt, Maria de Nagay and Gena Tanenbaum, Frey was the first photographer of choice for their sculptural work. Frey also photographed many artists at work, and many exhibitions of sculpture and outdoor art in Toronto.
In the 1970s and 80s, Frey turned her attention to the beauty of the Canadian wilderness. She produced one series entitled "The Canadian Shield" which explored the colour and texture of the rock formations. These prints were exhibited widely. Later, twelve of her prints of the Berlin Wall were chosen in an international juried competition and are still displayed in the Check-point Charlie Museum in Berlin.
Elizabeth Frey's photographs also appear in several Canadian books in print including: Dora De Pédery Hunt's two books Sculpture (1978) and Medals (1973). Frey also authored her own book, Toronto We Love You (1975).
Elizabeth Frey currently resides in Toronto.
