Jimo Perini
San Francisco, CA
28 August 2016
Jimo is one of the living legends of North Beach who links the present with a very rich past. I first met and photographed him in 2012. My friend at Caffe Trieste, Paul Agus, told me that Jimo was a war hero and an amazing photographer and that I should photograph him. I instantly knew that he was a photographer because when I went to meter the light for the photograph, Jimo called out 1/250th at f5.6. I looked at my light meter and he was dead on. I saw Jimo several more times over the years at Trieste and always wanted to photograph him more in depth.
On August 25th, I brought up the idea with Jimo’s girlfriend, Helene, to photograph him in his home. Helene and I really didn’t know each other at the time, but she liked the idea. We did the shoot on the 28th–not long after Jimo’s 90th birthday.
I arrived at Jimo’s intersection–Jackson at Leavenworth. Jimo lived in a building on one side of the street when he was born and now lives at the same intersection in the same apartment he has lived in since 1949. Jimo shot many photographs at this very intersection over the years. I found the buzzer marked “Perini” and nervously pushed it. I knew that Jimo had photographed the Pope, presidents, politicians, photographers, actors, and many others. I hoped I was going to be good enough to photograph him.
Helene greeted me and welcomed me in to the apartment. I immediately felt the energy in the apartment. Every wall was covered in framed black and white images. Dressers were filled with negatives–Jimo estimated that he had over a million. There were boxes filled with large prints. The light coming in from the corner window was amazing. Being there was like touching an exposed wire and I didn’t want to let go.
I spent about three hours there, but I really don’t think I’ve even scraped the surface. Helene had pulled many items ahead of time including his portfolios, war medals, documents, letters, etc. Many of the stories that I heard before that seemed almost too fantastical were immediately confirmed. I’ll share some but will try to keep it brief.
Jimo reported his birthday as a couple of years earlier than it was so he could serve in WWII. Jimo served as a “combat photographer” but his separation papers show that he was in the OSS, which later became known as the CIA. Jimo served ahead of some of the most notorious battles in history including “Overlord” which was the Normandy invasion. Jimo’s crew parachuted in behind enemy lines to provide information before the invasions as to what the Armies would be facing. Jimo received four purple hearts and was a prisoner of war with one of the greatest photographers in history, Henri Cartier Bresson. Jimo escaped and to this day, he won’t say how he did it. Helene said she has tried to get him to talk about it but Jimo breaks down and cries.
Jimo returned to San Francisco after the war and continued his love for photography. He published two photo books, “San Francisco Grip” and “To Marci with love.” Jimo’s photography continued to take him all over the world to places that one would not go for a relaxing vacation. Jimo was in Tripoli in 1986 when the US bombed Qaddafi’s compound and he was with Princess Diana and Mother Theresa in the mine fields during her anti mine campaign. Jimo continued this type of work well in to the 1990’s.
I really admire Jimo’s determination today. At 90, it has become quite difficult for him to get around, but that doesn’t stop him. On the day of this shoot, he spent the morning with his friends at Caffe Trieste having coffee. He then did this photo shoot. Later that evening, he took Helene out for Japanese food. I think many in his situation would just choose to stay home.
So much more to tell, but I’ll leave it at this for now. Thank you so much Helene and Jimo for allowing me in to your lives. Enjoy the photographs. Â
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