Ylla Camilla Koffler

Ylla (1911–1955) was a Romanian‑born photographer whose pioneering animal portraits earned her the title “the greatest animal photographer in the world” of her era. Born Camilla Koffler in Vienna to Romanian and Yugoslav parents, she moved to Paris in the 1930s to study sculpture—and took up photography to support herself. Early in her career she became renowned for her Manhattan studio portraits of pets, from dogs and cats to squirrels and even a baby lion.

Driven by a passion for wildlife, Ylla soon left studio comfort behind to capture animals in their natural habitats. In Africa she photographed elephants, rhinoceros, and big cats—approaching each subject with patience and respect, even when that meant sharing a truckbed with a charging rhino. In India her reputation preceded her, granting her extraordinary access to tigers, rhinoceros, and the colorful pageantry of rural life. Yet she never lost her sense of humor, delighting in the absurd moments—animals chasing each other, handlers’ antics—she vowed to record someday in anecdotes.

Over her brief career Ylla published twelve books of images that celebrated the personality and poetry of the animal kingdom. She once wrote, “My pictures preach no message and present no scheme of world betterment… I try for simpler goals.” Tragically, she was killed in 1955 during a jeep accident while photographing a bullock cart race in India. Her legacy endures in the warmth, wit, and humanity of her photographs, which continue to inspire a deeper appreciation for the creatures she so lovingly portrayed.