Page

Fashion Photography (1880present)

Contents

What is Fashion Photography?

History of Fashion Photography
Paris Culture and Fashion (1880-1930)
Fashion Photography in America (1900-1930)
Surrealist Fashion Photography
World War II and the 1950s
1960s Fashion Photography
1970s
1980s
1990s
21st Century
Greatest Fashion Photographers

What is Fashion Photography?

The term "fashion photography" describes a type of fine art
photographydevoted to the promotion of fashion items such as haute
couture clothing, as well as mass-market clothes, shoes, perfume and other
branded products designed by fashion houses around the world. Practiced by
many of the world's greatest photographers, "fashion photography" should
be seen primarily as a form of visual art, rather than an applied art, since the
images created do not serve a utilitarian function. Furthermore, 21st century
fashion photos - like mainstream TV commercials - are primarily concerned
with the promotion of a brand (that is, a concept), rather than a physical
product. (Please see also: Is Photography Art?) Whatever its precise meaning
oraesthetics, "fashion photography" is closely linked to contemporary art and
popular culture. Not only does it reflect popular attitudes, aspirations, and
tastes, it also reflects the views that women have, about their self-image,
gender and sexuality. In addition, "fashion photography" is inextricably linked
to the media. Emerging initially to satisfy the needs of women's magazines
published by Conde Nast and Hearst, such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar today
augmented
by
publications
like Elle, Cosmopolitan, Vanity
Fair, W,Grazia and Seventeen - it now has instant worldwide impact thanks to

Page

the digital computer revolution and the Internet. Although New York replaced
Paris as the the mecca of fashion photography as far back as the 1940s, Paris
and Milan remain important creative centres, while Far Eastern cities in India
and China will no doubt emerge as international fashion centres before long.

History of Fashion Photography

The earliest fashion photos were produced in the 1860s, to document the
creations of the leading Parisian fashion houses. The idea of employing
professional models was thought to be repugnant, so fashion photographers
were reliant upon social celebrities, such as Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney or
Sarah Bernhardt, to act as models. Even when full-time models were later
employed, they were sketched by artists rather than photographed, because
couturiers and designers thought that photographs would give away their
secrets. It wasn't until the late 1880s that photographs of models were used
and then printed in fashion magazines, following the invention of the
halftone printing process by Frederic Eugene Ives (18561937). This new
print process made it possible to reproduce fashion photographs in masscirculation journals and market fashion to a mass audience. (See also: 19th
Century Photographers.) The two most important fashion magazines (both
founded in America) were Harper's Bazaar (founded by Harper & Brothers,
first published 1867, later bought by Hearst) and Vogue (founded by Arthur
Turnure, first published 1892, later bought by Conde-Nast). These journals
and their expanding readership, together with rapidly advancing American
technology in the area of photography and printing, made the United States
an important centre in the area of fashion photography.

Paris Culture and Fashion (1880-1930)

But despite America's technical edge, Paris remained the centre of Western
culture, notably in the areas of fine art and printmaking. Indeed with the
emergence of major artistic trends like Impressionism (1873-83), PostImpressionism (1880-1900), Art Nouveau (1890-1914), Fauvism (1905-6) and
Cubism (1907-14), Paris was the Mecca for all serious artists involved
inpainting and sculpture. Berlin was another important centre of avant-garde
art and design, thanks to the influence of German Expressionism, as well as
the influential Sturm Gallery (1912-32), the later Bauhaus Design

Page

School(1919-1933), and the activities of photographers like John

Heartfield (1891-1968), Raoul Hausmann (1886-1971), Hannah Hoch (18891978), Heinrich Hoffmann (1885-1957) and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946).
It was the same in fashion. All the major trends emanated from Paris and
Berlin, and it was these French and German fashion trends that were
showcased in Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. And since most of the major
couturiers and fashion houses were located in Paris, it was here that most of
the pioneering fashion photography was done. Indeed the first serious
fashion photo-shoot was done in Paris in 1911 by the American
photographer Edward Steichen (1879-1973), when he photographed a series
of gowns made by the couturier Paul Poiret, so as to convey their physical
quality as well as their formal appearance. Published in the magazine Art et
Decoration, Steichen's images were seen as the first modern fashion photos
ever published. Other French magazines that employed fashion photography
during the prewar years included La Mode Practique and La Gazette du Bon
Ton, while other early 20th-century Parisian fashion photographers include:
the Seeberger brothers - Jules Seeberger (1872-1932), Louis Seeberger
(1874-1946) and Henri Seeberger (1876-1956) - Maison Reutlinger,
Boissonnas et Taponnier and Henri Manuel.
Note: Modern French fashion photography originated with three Parisian
postcard photographers known as the Seeberger brothers (Jules, Louis,
Henri), who began taking portrait photos of the upper echelon of French
society around 1910 onwards. As these casual portraits of beautiful women,
clad in the latest fashions at horse races, holiday resorts and cafes, began to
appear in journals and magazines, couturiers such as Chanel,Hermes,
and Madeleine Vionnet rushed to send their fashion models to be
photographed by the brothers.
Although hit hard by The Great War (1914-18), France retained its position as
the centre of art and fashion throughout the 1920s and 30s, thanks to the
birth of Surrealism in 1924, as well as the rise of couturiers such
as Chanel,Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, and Lanvin, each of whom became known
for their distinctive styles. As a result, the city continued to attract top
camera artists including Horst P. Horst (1906-99), Man Ray (18901976), Cecil Beaton(1904-80), George Hoyningen-Huene (1900-68), Erwin
Blumenfeld (1897-1969), Brassai (1899-1984) and Andre Kertesz (18941985), as well as the design-genius Alexey Brodovitch (1898-1971).

Page

Note: On both sides of the Atlantic, the emergence of department stores

greatly increased the accessibility of women's fashion. In Paris the leading
fashion stores included Le Bon Marche, La Samaritaine, and the Grands
Magasins
Dufayel,
while
in
America
they
included Macy's, McCreary's, Abraham & Straus, AT Stewart Dry Goods
Store (all New York), Marshall Field & Company,Carson Pirie Scott (both
Chicago), and Wanamaker's(Philadelphia).

Fashion Photography in America (1900-1930)

Such activity in Paris did not prevent American fashion photography from
progressing also. The country's growing wealth, the power of Harper's Bazaar
and Vogue, as well as its tradition of photographic art - exemplified by the
work of Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), and later Paul Strand (18901976),Charles Sheeler (1883-1965), Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) and Walker
Evans(19031975) - all combined to make New York a hotbed of innovation.
The first notable American fashion photographer was Baron Adolf de Meyer
(1868-1946) - best-known for his elegant portraits of celebrities such as Mary
Pickford, John Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Ruth St. Denis, Britain's King George V
and Queen Mary - who in 1913 became the first official fashion photographer
for the American magazine Vogue, now owned by Conde-Nast. De Meyer was
the first to imbue his fashion photos with a sense of "mood", by bathing his
shots in a limpid atmosphere and shimmering light. This refinement opened
the way for fashion photography to evoke a wide range of feelings in the
viewer, thus abandoning the traditional convention of using fashion photos
for illustration purposes only. (For the evocative effects created by early
portrait photographers, see the work of Julia Margaret Cameron: 1815-79.)
During the early part of the 20th century, another significant factor in the
growth of the American fashion industry (and thus American fashion
photography) concerned the rise of the "ready-to-wear" clothes industry, and
the contemporaneous development of an independent US style quite
unconnected with Parisian fashion. In effect, the American fashion market
switched from Parisian couture to individualized ready-to-wear clothing,
marketed and promoted through magazines like Women's Wear
Daily(founded 1910), Harper's Bazaar, and Ladies Home Journal (founded
1883 - and in 1903 became the first American magazine to reach 1 million
subscribers).

Page

In 1924, Adolf de Meyer's 'soft-focus' effects were superceded by Steichen's

clean geometric style of photographic modernism, which substituted simple
but sleek backdrops for de Meyer's rococo settings. Like the smooth lines,
geometric shapes, and streamlined forms of Art Deco - the hugely influential
design movement developed in America - Steichen's photos showed that US
fashion photographers intended to lead Europe, not follow it. The fact that
America was the land of European emigrants, liberated from the traditional
and old fashioned values of their homelands, was an added advantage. Thus
Steichen was able to portray the modern woman in a modern style of
clothing that reflected her new-found freedom from the corset - a situation
later portrayed by Horst P Horst in his seminal Vogue image, entitled "The
Mainbocher Corset" (1939). See also Steichen's series of photographs of
Marion Morehouse, who embodied the archetypal "contemporary" woman,
the flapper.
Another important development was engineered by Carmel Snow, editor-inchief of Harper's Bazaar, who arranged for the Hungarian sports
photographer Martin Munkacsi (1896-1963) to shoot some photos for a
swimwear spread, out in the open on a windy beach. As Lucile Brokaw, the
model, ran towards the camera, Munkacsi photographed her in motion,
blurred and hair streaming, and in that instant shattered the convention that
fashion photographs could only be taken inside a controlled studio
environment. Munkacsi's spontaneous realism revolutionized the aesthetics
of fashion photography, and opened the way for others to follow.
Also important was the invention of Kodachrome a type of colour film
introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935. One of the first camera artists to use
colour in fashion photography was Louise Dahl-Wolfe (1895-1989), bestknown for her outdoor photo-shoots for Harper's Bazaar. She was also one of
the first to use natural light, and to use exotic locations for her photography.

Surrealist Fashion Photography

Presided over by its chief theorist Andre Breton (1896-1966), the ParisbasedSurrealism movement, with its fantastic, dreamlike attributes, had a
significant influence on fashion photography. This is best exemplified by the
work of Man Ray, the American camera artist who charted an entirely new
direction for fashion photography, mostly because he disregarded the
conventions and experimented with surreal, expressionistic imagery in his

Page

dark room. In effect, his contrived, indoor, pictorialist style of work

represented the opposite end of the spectrum to the spontaneity of
Munkacsi. Another important pictorialist fashion photographer was Erwin
Blumenfeld (1897-1969) who employed numerous techniques including
solarization, overprinting, juxtapositioning of colour transparencies, and even
chilling wet negatives in the refrigerator in order to achieve his surreal
effects. Other camera artists who incorporated surrealist ideas in their
photos included the Englishman Peter Rose Pulham (1910-56), the
Frenchman Andre Durst (1907-49), the American George Platt Lynes (190755), and the inimitable Cecil Beaton.

World War II and 1950s

The advent of war prompted numerous European painters, sculptors and
photographers to move to the safety of the United States. The trend began
during the 1930s and accelerated from the time of Hitler's rise to power in
Germany, in 1933. Thus, for instance, the designer and photographer Alexey
Brodovitch (1898-1971) emigrated from Paris to New York in 1930; Martin
Munkacsi did it in 1934; George Hoyningen-Huene moved in 1935; and Erwin
Blumenfeld (1897-1969) in 1941.
Fashion in the United States during World War II was a depressing business.
Not only was there a serious lack of fashion materials, designers and models,
but people had lost interest in clothes in the face of so much tragedy and
uncertainty. Fashion was considered a frivolous and unnecessary form of selfindulgence. To reconnect with their readers, fashion magazines profiled
women's role in the war, promoted fashion as morale building, replaced
society columns with war reports, and championed tailored but plain
uniform-style clothing. Studio photography with its expensive lighting
systems and intricate setups disappeared almost entirely. Many
photographers (Lee Miller in Paris, Cecil Beaton in London, Louise Dahl-Wolfe
in New York) adopted a direct, straightforward style almost like a
documentary.
By the end of the war, the global centre of fashion photography had shifted
from Paris to New York, where the rivalry between Harper's
Bazaar andVogue was in full swing. The most important photographers were
now Martin Munkacsi, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Irving Penn (19172009), Richard
Avedon(1923-2004), all of whom would make significant contributions to

Page

fashion photography, although Penn and Avedon would dominate the genre
for years to come. Like many great modern artists they had the ability to
reinvent themselves with almost every decade.
Avedon's photos were marked by their chic insouciance and boundless
vitality. He also had a unique gift for inventive risk-taking and imaginative
experimentation, and was a perceptive talent-spotter, always finding the
"face" that best captures the "look" of the moment, such as Dorian Leigh,
Suzy Parker, Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, Brooke Shields, and Nastassja Kinski. In
contrast, Penn's photography was all about beauty and form - elements that
combined most perfectly in his later series of still life photos. He was the first
to use austere grey and white backgrounds, and his studio arrangements
were both aesthetic and meticulous. If Avedon's work can be described as
"immediate", Penn's is "monumental". In addition to their fashion work, both
men produced outstanding portrait art - see, for instance, Penn's immortal
portrait of Pablo Picasso, or Avedon's portrait of the model Dovima wearing a
Dior dress surrounded by African elephants.
Another major postwar talent was the British camera artist Norman
Parkinson (1913-90), who joined Vogue (International) in 1946 and began
working for US Vogue in 1949. Parkinson's "action realist" style and largerthan-life personality helped to transform conventional fashion photography.
In general, one can say that by the mid-1950s, a new fluid and energetic
aesthetic had emerged to replace the more static prewar approach. In a
sense this was no more than a reflection of the growing confidence shown by
both business and consumers as prosperity began to take hold across
America. With a rekindled interest in clothes, boosted by the stylish image
and outfits of movie-stars, American women began to want more fashion and
the magazines duly obliged. In addition to Avedon, Penn and Parkinson, other
leading fashion photographers of the 1950s included, William Klein (b.1928)
and Lillian Bassman (19172012).
Note: Harper's Bazaar and Vogue competed strongly for the most innovative
fashion editors, art directors and designers, many of whom had a huge effect
on the development of clothing and other fashion photography, through their
influence over their staff photographers and freelance cameramen. The two
best examples include: Alexey Brodovitch, art director at Harper's
Bazaar (1934-56); and Mrs. T. Reed Vreeland, fashion editor at Harpers
(19361962), later editor-in-chief at Vogue.

8
Page

Fashion Photography in the 1960s

While the 1950s introduced a fresh, adventurous spirit into fashion camera
art, the 1960s witnessed a total change. A whole new world of fashion
opened up as a result of the 60s cultural revolution. New forms of pop
music,pop art, greater leisure time, a more liberal attitude to sex, and of
course the sudden "generation gap", all combined to make fashion intensely
relevant for the young - a phenomenon reflected in the emergence of new
words like "trendy" and "fashion-conscious". A widespread urge to be seen as
"hip" or "cool" fuelled a demand for new styles, shapes, materials and
colours. Other important influences on attitudes to fashion (and thus fashion
photography) included the Vietnam War, the NASA Space Program, the
women's liberation movement, and the issue of "race". Although not 100
percent dominated by youth culture, 60s fashion was redefined by the
demands of young people.
This widening demand for fashion, allied to changing social and moral
values, had a major impact on fashion photography. The best young
photographers - such as the London trio of David Bailey (b.1938), Terence
Donovan (1936-96) and Brian Duffy (1933-2010) - enjoyed skyrocketing fees
and iconic status; Bailey became almost as famous as the celebrities he
photographed. Models, too, like Jean Shrimpton (Bailey's muse), Twiggy,
Lauren Hutton and Veruschka, became household names.
If 1960s fashion photography had any unifying aesthetic, it was "novelty".
Magazines needed new and exciting images in order to compete. David
Bailey was bold, direct and undeniably focused; Terence Donovan pioneered
the use of stark and gritty urban environments; Yasuhiro Wakabayashi
(b.1930), better known as Hiro, used unusual lighting, creative juxtapositions
and a unique feel for colour to create a monumental, surreal style; Bob
Richardson (1928-2005) put sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll into his photos, as did
Art Kane (1925-95) - at 26, the art director for Seventeen Magazine,
whileDiane Arbus (1923-1971) produced some of the most disturbing
children's fashion images ever published.
For a brief explanation of camera and photographic terms, please see: Art
Photography Glossary.

Page

Fashion Photography in the 1970s

During the 1970s, the exotic, hippy styles of the 60s were replaced with
more practical apparel. Jeans became "the" signature item of casualwear,
and demand for ready-to-wear (pret-a-porter) clothes exploded. Fashion
spread from the young to all ages, and this newly-found consumerism
propelled fashion into a multi-billion dollar industry, reinforced by slick
advertising campaigns and cutting-edge TV commercials.
French Vogue now took the creative lead in fashion photography thanks to
camera artists such as Helmut Newton (1920-2004) and Guy Bourdin (192891). Newton was best-known for subversive and erotic imagery that
somehow maintains an ironic tone, while Bourdin was renowned for his
highly artistic, colourful, occasionally surreal images. Deborah Turbeville
(1932-2013) was the first to use overweight and unsightly models. All three
helped to transform conventional, well-lit fashion-imagery into something
much more edgy and offbeat.
Fashion models continued to make it big in the 70s. In 1975, Margaux
Hemingway signed the first million-dollar contract as the face of
Faberg'sBabe perfume, while Lauren Hutton appeared on cover of Vogue 25
times(!). Black models also hit the big time, as exemplified by Iman, Donyale
Luna, Naomi Sims and Beverly Johnson, who was the first African American
model to feature on the cover of American Vogue in 1974. Other top models
of the 70s decade included Cybill Shepherd, Patti Hansen, Penelope Tree,
Grace Jones and Jerry Hall.

Fashion Photography in the 1980s

While some of the most creative fashion photography of the 1980s continued
to be produced by 'old-timers' like Richard Avedon - see, for instance, his
narrative advertising campaign "The Diors,"or his nude shot of Nastassja
Kinski entwined with a snake - younger photographers also emerged into the
limelight, including: Herb Ritts (1952-2002), best-known for his iconic shot of
"Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989" which appeared
in Rolling Stone Magazine; Bruce Weber (b.1946) who presented a new
outlook on masculinity through his photo-shoots for Armani and Calvin Klein,
as did Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-89) with his homoerotic shots; and Gian
Paolo Barbieri (b.1938), noted for his work for fashion designers Armani,

Page

10

Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Pomellato, and Giuseppe Zanotti. At the same
time, women's independence was emphasized in various settings, by
photographers like Denis Piel (b.1944) and Bert Stern (1929-2013).
Controversy, always a handy tool with which to boost flagging commercial
fortunes, reared its head as a result of Benetton's fashion campaign, shot by
Oliviero Toscani (b.1942). Images included one of a patient dying of AIDS in
front of grieving relatives, while others incorporated references to racism,
war, religion and the death penalty.
The leading supermodels of 1980s fashion photography included: Gia Marie
Carangi, Ines de la Fressange, Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, Paulina
Porizkova, Brooke Shields, Heather Locklear, Carol Alt, and Elle Macpherson,
among others. It was during this decade that supermodels stopped being
seen as individuals and started to be regarded as images, just like movie
stars. Witness the celebrity party shots taken by fashion photographer
Roxanne Lowit (b.1965) of supermodels like Elle Macpherson, Naomi
Campbell and others.

Fashion Photography in the 1990s

Fashion during the 90s turned almost Mannerist, as consumers embraced
shabby grunge styles, as well as tattoos and body piercing. Later in the
decade there was a revival of certain late 60s/ early 70s styles, although the
1990s retained an edginess all of its own. Long established artists like Irving
Penn and Helmut Newton continued to dominate the field, while Ellen von
Unwerth (b.1954) introduced viewers to her unique brand of erotic femininity.
In addition, Peter Lindberg (b.1944), noted for his monochrome photos,
achieved fame with his January 1990 Vogue cover featuring Christy
Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Tatjana
Patitz. Meanwhile his younger contemporary Steven Meisel (b.1954) was
praised for his shots of Madonna in her 1992 book "Sex" and for Vanity Fair.
The Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino (b.1954) also received
attention for his 1997 Vanity Fair cover photos of the late Lady Di, Princess of
Wales.
A key photographic trend (dubbed "heroin chic"), perhaps reflecting the
gender ambivalence of the age, was the use of pale emaciated androgynous-

Page

11

style models, exemplified by the photo-shoot for Calvin Klein's "Obsession",

by Mario Sorrenti (b.1971), which featured a waifish Kate Moss.
The 1990s saw the apogee of fashion model-power, as embodied by the
photographic superstars cited above - Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista,
Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Tatjana Patitz. The Heroin Chic style
flared briefly in mid-decade, but petered out with the rise to fame of the
Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen, in 1999. The 90s also witnessed the
growing use of established celebrities in fashion photo-shoots, as exemplified
by Julia Roberts, who became the face of Lancome.

Fashion Photography in the 21st Century

The twenty-first century has already been marked by three things: the 9/11
bombings; globalization and the impoverishment of the Third World; and the
economic downturn (2007-2014). This appears to have influenced fashion in
numerous ways. Ethical trading practices and green policies are shaping
buying policies. Ready-to-wear clothes are now largely manufactured in
China. Escapism to mitigate financial and political uncertainties has
encouraged a revival of surrealistic or kitsch-style fashion photography, as
well as the continued use of celebrities and long established supermodels.
Growing disatisfaction with established values in the the wake of worldwide
austerity continues to stimulate the use of controversial elements in the
design of fashion photoshoots, although not to the extent of Oliviero
Toscani's confrontational 1980s fashion-shoots for Benetton.
With the deaths of Herb Ritts (in 2002), Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton,
Francesco Scavullo (in 2004), and Irving Penn (in 2009), today's leading
fashion photographers include Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, Mario
Testino, Peter Lindbergh, Oliviero Toscani (b.1942), Annie Leibovitz (b.1949),
Nick Knight (b.1958) and David LaChapelle (1963). Younger camera artists
include Christophe Kutner, Glen Luchford, Craig McDean and Javier
Vallhonrat.
Although Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bundchen and other
'established' models continue to lead the field, the new crop of professional
fashion models of the 21st century - as cited in American Vogue (May 2007) include: Agyness Deyn, Lily Donaldson, Chanel Iman, Doutzen Kroes, Sasha

Page

12

Pivovarova, Hilary Rhoda, Coco Rocha, Jessica Stam, Caroline Trentini and
Raquel Zimmermann.
Meantime the leading fashion magazines (aside from Vogue and Harper's
Bazaar)
now
include Elle (the
world's
best
selling
fashion
magazine),Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, W, Vanity Fair, GQ, Grazia, Marie Claire,
as well as Dazed and Confused, and Sleaze Nation.
Exhibitions of fashion photography are shown regularly in several of the best
galleries of contemporary art across America.