Saturday, May 7, 2016

100 years of unseen fashion photos from 'the morgue'

Models stand beneath a theater marquee in 1954. "This frame, from a fashion shoot by photographer Sy Kattelson, never ended up running in Glamour magazine as originally intended," Ahern said. "Back in the day, the editors opted for a much more formulaic take with models fully posed and looking to the camera. But with a turn of a head and with a split-second of informality, this frame transgresses the fashion shoot and gives us an alternate moment of chic street-style elegance."A model poses in a snakeskin hood in 1965.In 1967, artist Georgia O'Keeffe examines an animal skull with a black feather in one of its eye sockets.A model holds a parasol in her hands as she leans against a wall in 1953.Fashion designer Coco Chanel reclines on a sofa in her home in 1960. "Horst first met Coco Chanel in New York in 1937 and would go on to shoot her along with her fashions for some 30 years," Ahern said. "This frame, discovered in a box that had not been touched for decades, reflects a longstanding friendship --- an informal portrait of the grand dame of fashion at home and at perfect ease."From left, dancers Hinton Battle, Gregory Hines and Gregg Burge promote their Broadway musical "Sophisticated Ladies" in 1981.First lady Nancy Reagan poses in the White House's Red Room in 1981. "In 1945, Horst P. Horst photographed Harry S. Truman and struck up a friendship which was to give him unprecedented access to the White House," Ahern said. Horst photographed every first lady in the postwar period.Model Chantal Dumont walks across the Pont Alexandre III, a Paris bridge, in 1969.Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. laughs as model Jean Shrimpton, left, leans on his shoulder in 1965. The image of Maggi Eckardt, right, was later pasted onto the same shot. Ahern said it is "fascinating to see firsthand the techniques that preceded the digital era. This image of Sammy Davis Jr. and model Jean Shrimpton became something else entirely with a skillful and literal cut-and-paste job."Actresses Beth and Betty Dodge wear matching stage costumes as they take a publicity portrait in 1929. The twins wore sequined caps, tops and bloomers to go with ostrich-feather skirts and fans. A model wears a bulbous hat and a plaid, boatneck dress as she stands on a city street in 1962. Conde Nast teamed up with Getty Images to release the archival photos. "We'd been after their content for some time. It's beautiful," said Bob Ahern, Getty's archive director. "Fashion is cyclical, it draws so readily on inspiration of the past. To have these images available is amazing."Model and actress Anjelica Huston lights a cigarette in front of a large mirror in 1972. This is one of more than 30,000 unseen photos released by Conde Nast, the magazine house behind Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)