Fashion Photography

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When you are a photographer, you work all the time, because your eye is the first camera.

Patrick Demarchelier

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Fashion Photography 1850-1859

Unidentified 1850

The photographer of this photograph is not known, however written on the back of the daguerrotype is 'Kneeling Woman, daguerrotype 1850'.

The colours in this photograph are unusal as the image appears to have shades of pinks within it, however very dark blacks. The subject in the photograph is not known. The way she is posed creates a chilling feeling as she is not smiling but looking up showing the whites of her eyes.

The fashion shown in this photograph is portrayed with detail as the pleats and folds in the sitters dress are shown with the contrast of shadows. The detail in the  lace shoulder drape is also shown as you can clearly see the pattern of the lace material. The pose in this photograph is not different to todays poses, however in the 1850s there was not much confidence in photographers to stand out and be different, as to have a camera in these days was enough to stand out from the rest of the public. The pose is simple however effective as what stands out the most to me is the look on the sitters face.

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A woman's dress should be a like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view.

Sophia Loren

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Fashion Photography 1860-1869

Pierre Louis Pierson 1863

This photograph was taken by Pierre Louis Pierson in the year 1863.

The sitter in the photograph is the Countess of Castiglione. 

She came from an  aristocratic family in La Spezia. She is famously known for being the mistress of Emperor Napoleon III of France. She began sitting for Pierre Louis Pierson in 1856, whilst working with Pierre-Louis Pierson she directed him to help her create a total of 700 different photographs, these photographs were the re-creations of the signature moments in her life. The project meant she spent a large part of her personal fortune and even resulted to her being in debt due to her passion in accomplishing the project just the way she wanted everything to be.

This photograph is stunning. It is a timeless piece of art as the pose is still used today and has not dated. The way the left hand side of the photograph is more in focus compared to the right adds a wonderful effect as there is more detail on the left to look at such as the bracelets and embellishments on her unusual dress. The model is positioned aesthetically as the photographer has captured her off centre.

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In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different

Coco Chanel

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Fashion Photography 1870-1879

Francisco van Camp 1875

This photograph was taken by Francisco van Camp in 1875.

The photograph has been titled 'Indígena de clase rica (Mestiza Sangley-Filipina)'

I am particularly fond of this photograph by the Dutch photographer as the photograph looks as though the women in it has a story to tell. The model is a women from the Philippines. Her long hair and pretty face is a main feature of the image. The way Francisco van Champ has cropped this image creates aesthetic lines within the photograph as he tightly crops the sides resulting in some of the material on the models sleeves to be missing. The detail the photographer has captured in this photograph is beautiful, you can even make out the lace pattern on the sleeves of the blouse along with the ring on her finger to suggest she is married. The way the model is posed to look away from the camera portrays the innocence and shyness of the woman.

This outfit is a traditional Philippine outfit, the fashionable flared sleeves and large turned over collar accompanied with a fan was a signature look for women living in the Philippines in the 1970's.

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Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.

Aaron Skiskind

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Fashion Photography 1880-1889

Porges 1880

This photograph was taken by Porges in 1880.

The photograph displays the change in fashion as the bustle is back in fashion along with added pleats and drapes of thick material and an accentuated back. The dress itself if beautiful. The camera is able to show the detail in the train of the dress as you can see the bold pattern and frills on the hem of the dress.

The use of props in this photograph adds age to the image as the chair itself is now classed as vintage. The use of this kind of prop and pose is not so common today. The focus of the photograph is not the best quality. However the overall image is clearly seen. The model in the photograph is directly looking into the camera as she is positioned central to the camera. The photograph has not been cropped at all which you can see by the way the subject is positioned. 

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It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.

Alfred Eisenstaedt

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Fashion Photography 1890-1999

Unidentified Photographer 1890

The photographer who captured this photograph is unidentified. However the model in the photograph is Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess.

Her family was known to be wealthy which i think is proven in this photograph as the dress Gertrude is wearing shows wealth as it is covered in beautiful detail of lace and glistening jewels which the photographer has captured very well as they glisten in the light against a dark background. The dress is quite a modern design for the year of 1890, which also portrays the image of wealth. 

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A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know.

Diane Arbus

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Fashion Photography 1900-1909

Sambourne 1904

This photograph was taken by Edward Linley Sambourne in 1904.

Edward Linley Sambourne was an English cartoonist and illustrator most famous for being a draughtsman for the satirical magazine Punch for more than forty years. He began to photograph scenes and then illustrate them from his magazine. 

The approach of this photograph is more of a street genre then pure fashion. However the photograph is still classed as fashion photography with a more urban feel to it.The photograph has no lighting added to it as it is not in a studio but in the street. 

We do not know if this photograph was posed or not. The photograph portrays a casual and relaxed feel to it as the subject walks away form the camera. However her arm is touching her beautiful hat which could suggest it was specifically posed, as her arm creates aesthetic lines to the photograph. 

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Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are

Quentin Crisp

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Fashion Photography 1910-1919

Talbot 1910

This photograph was taken by Talbot in 1910.

Little knowledge is known about the photographer Talbot however we do know that this photograph was taken in Paris in the year of 1910 as the shoot was on Parisian couture. He signed his signature below the photograph and on the back of the photograph there is a handwritten note that reads, 'Mson Chaput et Ehuiller, 3505C'.  The photograph is a Gelatin Silver Print.

The background intrigues me as it is a painting of the waves at the seaside, if this scene was to be created today a way of re-creating the image would be to photoshop in the background after taking an actual photograph of the sea. This would make the overall image look more realistic. However i think the way Talbot has taken this photograph with this background adds a gentle hint of the sea whilst still making the fashion and the accessory of the umbrella the main focus of the image. 

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When I first became interested in photography, I thought it was the whole cheese. My idea was to have it recognized as one of the fine arts. Today I don't give a hoot in hell about that. The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each man to himself.

Edward Steichen

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Fashion Photography 1920-1929

Edward Steichen 1926

This photograph was taken in 1926 by Edward Steichen.

The model in this photograph is Marian Morehouse, she is modelling a Louiseboulanger dress.

Comparing this photograph to modern day 21st century photographs you can signify a large difference in the style and the quality of the photograph. The colour scale of the image proves its age as it is in greyscale however shows some shades of greens and blues. Even though some sort of lighting has been created as you can see a shadow towards the right of the models figure, the image still appears quite flat. Looking at the detail of the bottom of the dress you can not clearly distinguish the different layers of material, which is an example of the flatness in the image. 

The angle the photograph has been taken does not appear very creative as it is paired with the pose of a stiff straight on view of the model. This today portrays a feeling of uneasiness however the stern face showing little expression was just a common pose when having your photograph taken in 1926.

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I don’t think photography has anything remotely to do with the brain. It has to do with eye appeal.

Horst P. Horst