Nikolai von Bismarck


Count Nikolai Leopold Archibald von Bismarck-Schönhausen is a British-German photographer.

Early life and family

Count Nikolai von Bismarck-Schönhausen was raised in Central London. He is a member of the House of Bismarck, a German noble family headed by his cousin, Carl, Prince of Bismarck. He is the oldest of four children. His father is Count Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen, the youngest child of Otto Christian Archibald, Prince of Bismarck and Ann-Mari Tengbom, the daughter of Ivar Tengbom. His mother is Debonnaire Jane Patterson, the granddaughter of John Roseberry Monson, 10th Baron Monson and the niece of John Monson, 11th Baron Monson. He is a great-great grandson of German Chancellor Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg.
Von Bismarck attended Harrow School, an all-boys boarding school in Harrow, London.

Career

Von Bismarck works as a photographer. When he was sixteen years old he trained with photographer Mario Testino. Working under Testino led to his first professional photoshoot, titled "like a virgin" and was commissioned by Isabella Blow, at which time he was the youngest photographer to shoot for Condé Nast. He studied photography at Parsons Paris School of Art and Design in Paris, France.
After graduating from Parsons he worked with Annie Leibovitz for two years. In 2013 he produced a photography exhibit focused on Ethiopia. He photographed Princess Beatrice of York for her official 18th birthday portrait. Most recently he has completed a book of portraits, ‘The Dior Sessions’ published by Rizzoli in 2019, with tailoring by Kim Jones, Artistic Director at Dior Homme.
Nikolai’s portraits have appeared in numerous publications, including The Financial Times, The Telegraph, Vogue and the covers of W Magazine, GQ and Harper’s Bazaar. His reportage work has been featured in several publications including the Daily Mirror and The Times.