Frederick Eberstadt ’48

Fred died July 29, 2023, in Manhattan just days after his 97th birthday.

A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Fred entered Princeton in June 1944. After serving in the Navy Reserve from 1945 to 1947, he left Princeton to travel the world. He earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from New York University in June 1950 and subsequently a master’s of social work from Columbia University.

Fred had a renowned career as a photojournalist during which, in 30 years behind the lens, he shot for Vogue, Life, Look, and Women’s Wear Daily, among other publications. His subjects ranged from the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor to Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. Known for bringing an insider’s perspective to whatever he was shooting, Fred’s fashion and society work was described by journalist Barbara Goldsmith as “velvet and supersleek.”

He was married to Isabel Nash, a daughter of the poet Ogden Nash, until her death in 2006. For Fred’s obituary in The New York Times, writer Bob Colacello said: “He and Isabel stood out among their Park Avenue social set. They were hipper, cooler, more open minded, curious, and adventurous. Eternally young.”

Fred later became a psychotherapist and practiced with the Cognitive Therapy Center of New York. He would continue to practice beyond the age of 90.

He is survived by children Nicholas, and Fernanda, and six grandchildren. The Class of 1948 sends its sympathies on the loss of one of our most distinctive and distinguished classmates.