Above: Barbara Mullen, New York, Harper's Bazaar, circa 1958
Lillian Bassman's distinctive photographs were highly sought after by fashion
editors of the 1940s and 50s. Produced by careful darkroom manipulation,
they brought elegance and whimsy to a previously fusty, straight-backed
style of promoting clothes and jewellery.
Night Bloom: Anneliese Seubert in Givenchy Haute Couture, 1956
Bassman was born in Brooklyn in 1917 into a family of free-thinking
intellectuals. So bohemian were her parents that they allowed her to move in
with her future husband at 15, before they were married. She trained as a
textile designer first, but decided to try her hand at fashion illustration.
When she showed her portfolio to Alexey
Brodovitch, the director of Harper’s Bazaar, he immediately accepted
her at his prestigious Design
Laboratory, where she switched to graphic design.
More Fashion Mileage Per Dress: Barbara Vaughn in a dress by
Filcol, New York. Harper's Bazaar, 1956
When Harpers Bazaar launched Junior
Bazaar in 1945, she became the title's art director, and
worked hard to promote the work of then fledging photographers Richard
Avedon and Robert Frank. She liked to help with printing the images, and
would often be found in the darkroom during her lunch break, tinkering with
the images in the darkroom to show the work to best effect.
Wonders of Water: Model Unknown, Harper's Bazaar, 1959
“I was interested in developing a method of printing on my own, even before I
took photographs,” she said during an interview later in life. "In
there, I felt a sense of being able to say something I wanted to
say...creating a new kind of vision aside from what the camera saw.”
Born to Dance: Margie Cato in a dress by Emily Wilkes, New York,
1950
When she eventually turned her hand to taking pictures, her light-hearted,
poetical approach caught the eye of those that mattered, and soon she was
photographing for commercial as well as editorial clients. Everything she
photographed received the same care and attention, whether it were a packet
of cigarettes or a dress by Dior.
Betty Threat, New York. Harper's Bazaar, circa 1957
She fell out of fashion in the 1960s, when a rougher, hard-edged style
infiltrated the fashion pages, and pictures became more about the models
than the clothes they wore. Disheartened, she tried to destroy most of her
negatives, and moved toward focusing on her own work, which varied from
colourful still life to things she saw on the streets of New York.
Across the Restaurant: Barbara Mullen in a dress by Jacques
Fath. Le Grand Vefour, Paris, 1949
It was a chance discovery of some of her remaining, long-forgotten negatives
in the 1990s that led to a resurgence of interest in her work. She began
working with her old negatives all over again, this time in Photoshop,
producing a series of abstract images that delighted a new generation of
fans.
New Look Corset: Model Unknown, Christian Dior, Harper's Bazaar,
circa 1950
Bassman died in February 2010, aged 94, but her images continue to extend a
profound influence. Her gallery, Staley Wise of New York said: "While
taken nearly 50 years ago, Lillian Bassman's innovative and sensual
photographs continue to inspire today's photographers and fashion designers.
Her work remains indelibly timeless."
Charles James Dress: Carmen, New York. Harper’s Bazaar, 1960
For further information, please visit the Staley
Wise website.
2 comments:
Beautiful.
Should have liked to see what she'd have done with the 'teens.
Breathtakingly beautiful.
I remember the late 50's fashions well, as mom was a buyer for one of the large East Coast department stores from the 40s to the 60's. Always loved the romance of the 40s-50s clothing both male and female. Clothing set moods back then. Modeled a bit in the mid 60's, but the softness/personality of textiles was already gone. So wonderful to have these lovely photos, more like art work, found.
Thank you, Sophie (if I can be so bold), they bring back memories of mom.
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