Eva Konikoff

Born to Russian-Jewish parents in Helsinki, Finland in 1908, as a child Eva Konikoff lived with relatives in Novgorod, Novgorod Oblast, Russia. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old. After some time in Novgorod, she returned to Helsinki to work at the interior design company, Hemflit-Kotiahkeruus. Konikoff left for the United States in July of 1941 as fighting started between Finland and Russia during the Continuation War (1941 – 1944). She initially lived with an uncle in Philadelphia but then later moved to New York. She had a three-year marriage with Ramon Cordova after marrying in 1944/1945. She was active in New York’s Photo League during the mid to late 1940s. Konikoff exhibited in the This is the Photo League exhibition in 1947 – 1948 as well as presented at a meeting of the Amateur Photography Club in Helsinki in September of 1949. Shortly after her divorce, Konikoff developed a mental block that stifled her ability to work. Her close friend, the noted writer and artist, Tove Jansson, referred to her mental struggle as ‘the very lonely battle you are having with yourself’. Her correspondences with, and photographs of, her friend is known accompanied by her portfolio of photography works. It is uncertain that Konikoff produced any photographic work after 1949. At the age of 91, Eva Konikoff died in Seattle, WA in 1999.