The Inventors

Sunday, June 22, 2008 · 4 Comments 

These are the guys that invented fashion photography; pre-WWII consciously or not they created a whole new genre and became the shoulders Avedon and Penn and the rest would later stand on.  Absolutely remarkable.  If you don’t know them, study up, b/c they’ve a great deal to teach.

Horst P. Horst:

photo: Mainbocher Corset, Paris, 1939. ©Horst P. Horst.

Cecil Beaton:

photo: Baba Beaton: A Symphony in Silver, 1925. ©Cecil Beaton Archive.

George Hoyningen-Huene:

photo: Divers, 1930. © George Hoyningen-Huene.

Louise Dahl-Wolfe:

photo: Twins at Beach, 1955. © Louise Dahl-Wolfe.

Martin Munkacsi:

photo: Lovely autumn: the last rays of sunshine, ca. 1929. © Joan Munkacsi.

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Comments
4 Responses to “The Inventors”
  1. Brandon Daniels says:
    July 4, 2008 at 12:33 am

    I’ve been reading your blog ever since I read the PDN article about you earlier this year. In addition to your work, I admire the work of many other contemporary photogs. But your blog is like no other. I’m just “starting” to realize the importance of the way you constantly re-visit [photography] history and why it’s important to observe those who came before us in this profession. Thank you!

    Brandon

  2. admin says:
    July 4, 2008 at 5:44 am

    Brandon, thanks, man, sometimes I feel like I’m nerding out to myself when I start talking about this sort of stuff. Glad you enjoy it.

  3. Terence Patrick says:
    July 4, 2008 at 11:27 am

    Great post Graeme. Like the saying goes, there’s no future without the past.

  4. terraplane says:
    August 22, 2008 at 7:53 pm

    Please nerd out. There is a cerebreal side to this business that is lost on so many shooters.