Zaida Ben-Yusuf - Early Life

Early Life

Zaida Ben-Yusuf was born Esther Zeghdda Ben Youseph Nathan in London, England, on 21 November 1869, the eldest daughter of a German-born mother, Anna Kind Ben-Youseph Nathan, from Berlin; and an Algerian father, Mustapha Moussa Ben Youseph Nathan. By 1881, Anna Ben-Yusuf, now separated from her husband, and her four daughters (Zaida (aged 11), Heidi (8), Leila (4) and Pearl (3)), were living in Ramsgate, where Anna worked as a governess. At some stage in the late 1880s, Anna Ben-Yusuf emigrated to the United States, where by 1891, she had established a milliner's shop on Washington Street in Boston.

In 1895, Zaida Ben-Yusuf followed in her mother's footsteps and emigrated to the United States, where she worked as a milliner at 251 Fifth Avenue, New York. She continued this for some time after becoming a photographer, writing occasional articles for Harpers Bazaar and the Ladies Home Journal on millinery.

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