Nat Fein

Nat Fein (1914–2000) was an American press photographer whose daring work helped define mid‑century photojournalism in New York. Born and raised on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, he joined the New York Herald Tribune as a copyboy in 1932. Years later, after teaching himself the craft and purchasing his first camera, he became a staff photographer—a partnership that would endure for more than three decades.

Fein’s most celebrated image, “Babe Bows Out,” shows baseball legend Babe Ruth leaning on home‑plate at Yankee Stadium during his final public appearance. The photograph earned Fein the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Photography and remains an icon of American sports history. Beyond that singular frame, he was known for his willingness to climb scaffolding and stretch across rooftops to secure the perfect perspective—never shying away from physical risk to capture a compelling moment.

Over his career Fein chronicled a changing New York landscape and its leading figures. His assignments ranged from postwar recovery scenes in Brooklyn neighborhoods to portraits of Albert Einstein, President Harry Truman, Queen Elizabeth II, Marilyn Monroe, and Eleanor Roosevelt. He favored natural light and spontaneous composition, bringing a sense of immediacy and empathy to both human‑interest stories and high‑profile events.

Remembered as one of the twentieth century’s most awarded press photographers, Fein helped elevate newspaper photography into an art form. His archive—held in part by the Library of Congress—continues to inform exhibitions that explore the intersection of journalism, artistry, and the urban experience.