Ellen von Unwerth, Michele Hicks, Esther Cañadas and Jan Dunning for Vogue Italia Editorial "All That Time" (1997) - Inspired by original 18th-Century portraits of the former French queen, Marie Antoinette, and the French court by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun.
John Galliano, Christian Dior Haute Couture, Fall 1997.
Often rooted in exploring femininity, Unwerth's inspiration for the shoot came from the 18th-Century French court. Through Galliano's designs, brightly coloured wigs and bold, defining makeup, the photos seem to recreate the sheer extravagance of the Rococo period through the eye of a modern lens.
(Lower right) Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Marie Antoinette with a Rose, 1783 - Ten years before she was executed in the Place de la Révolution in Paris, France.
(Lower left) Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait in a straw hat, 1782.
Ellen von Unwerth, Esther Cañadas (1997)
Though she began her career in front of the lens rather than behind it, Unwerth's true breakthrough came in 1989 when she photographed Claudia Schiffer for Elle Germany.
Suddenly thrown into the world of high-fashion magazines, Unwerth found a way to combine both the professionalism of editorial photography with her own energetic flair, often capturing her subjects in moments of unfiltered happiness. Not only did the freedom in these portraits reflect Unwerth's personal style, it also challenged traditional notions of women in photography; encouraging freedom and confidence.
Alongside embracing femininity, Unwerth pushes tradition further, choosing to celebrate eroticism, a usually taboo subject - creating images that are sensual without being exploitative. Instead, making them both playful and empowering to the models, her and the audience.
Image descriptions in order:
(Top left) Ellen von Unwerth, Warm Bath, Claudia Schiffer, LEI for Elle Germany, 1989. Part of the image has been redacted to comply with Tumblr guidelines.
(Top right) Ellen von Unwerth, Sarabeth in Window, Rouilly le Bas, France, 2002. Used for Unwerth's book Fräulein. Part of the image has been redacted to comply with Tumblr guidelines.
(Middle image) Ellen von Unwerth, Unknown model, Paris, 2005.
(Last image) Brian van der Brug for the Los Angeles Times, Photographer Ellen von Unwerth, 2013.
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