Raymond Jacobs is primarily known for his iconic reportage photographs of New York City street scenes from the late 1940s through the mid 1960s, his portraits of celebrities and notable figures of the era such as Louis Armstrong, Salvador Dalí and Robert F. Kennedy,[3] as well as his in-depth photographic studies of subjects like the American circus and female impersonators.
[8][9] He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, where he photographed the 1939 New York World's Fair with a Brownie box camera for the student newspaper.
[13] Jacobs is most well known however for his personal reportage photographs of New York City street scenes taken from the mid-1940s through early 1960s and for his intimate portraits of notable figures like Louis Armstrong, Gloria Swanson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Salvador Dalí, Eartha Kitt, Robert F. Kennedy, Sammy Davis Jr., and Billie Holiday.
[17] Jacobs first solo exhibition was held in 1955 at Roy DeCarava's A Photographer's Gallery on the Upper West Side of New York City.
According to New York Times photography critic Jacob Deschin, the exhibition primarily focused on "close-up characterizations of people in varied situations of ordinary living" and noted that Jacobs added "a new element, represented in a group of vacation landscapes and seascapes that reveal a fresh, unsuspected side to this photographer's talents.
According to Deschin, "Jacobs' portfolio of poster-like effects in manipulated images of unrealistic color provides an excitingly novel example of a successful stylistic device.
Jacobs directed, co-wrote, and co-produced his second film, The Minx (1969), which starred Jan Sterling and featured an original soundtrack by The Cyrkle.
The company expanded to 123 stores to sell the shoes, boots, and sandals, all with the negative heel design, across the United States, Canada, and Europe.