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Up to about 1940, Muslims considered it a serious offense to make a likeness of someone, so there are many Arabian princes who have never been photographed,
A photo exists Ret Marut,but it remains disputed whether that is author B. Traven or not. No picture exist of a person calling himself Traven.
I’d go with Robert Johnson. He was highly influential to the development of blues as a musical genre, yet thee are only 3 pictures of him.
Not a person, but the extinct subspecies of plains zebra known as the quagga, has only ever had one individual that was photographed (total of 5 times). I guess it’s worth throwing it in here.
He was not from the 20th century but I would have liked to have seen a proven picture of Crazy Horse.
Native American tribal chiefs were usually quite eager to ham it up in front of the camera.
There are probably many prolific authors who wrote under numerous names, who escaped camera attention. People like Russell Trainer, who appears only in mug shots, school annuals and family snapshots. Even a lot of current best-selling authors remain reclusive. A google image search for J D Salinger turns up several.
I’d go with Robert Johnson. He was highly influential to the development of blues as a musical genre, yet thee are only 3 pictures of him.
Robert Johnson's whole life story is an enigma, just not photographs. He died young and the awareness of his incredible talents really wasn't widespread in the blues and rock community until decades after his death.
How can you be well known but not photographed in the 20th century? Guess it depends on your personal interpretation of well known. Some of the people mentioned are rather obscure and would not be recognized by most people even within the genres mentioned. Being picky.
Nick Drake although he didn't entirely escape the camera and he and his music wasn't popular until after he died.
"There is no known video footage of the adult Drake; he was only ever captured in still photographs and in home footage from his childhood." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Drake
Robert Johnson's whole life story is an enigma, just not photographs. He died young and the awareness of his incredible talents really wasn't widespread in the blues and rock community until decades after his death.
True, legend has it that he ‘sold his soul to the devil’, in order to improve his guitar skills.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lluvia
Nick Drake although he didn't entirely escape the camera and he and his music wasn't popular until after he died.
"There is no known video footage of the adult Drake; he was only ever captured in still photographs and in home footage from his childhood." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Drake
That’s a good one. Just like Robert Johnson, he was a recluse during his life, and only became appreciated after his death.
Since we're trending away from the original question and addressing who became a recluse, I'll offer up another musician.
Rod Evans original Deep Purple/Captain Beyond lead singer.
After an ill fated tour with the bogus band the "New Deep Purple" he was sued by the original Deep Purple band members and gave up his royalties.
Disappeared after a 1980 interview around the time of the lawsuit.
Rumor has it he became a respiratory therapist in California.
Last edited by lluvia; 04-14-2021 at 09:57 PM..
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