Lecture Ten: Fashion as a Photograph

Lecture Notes 

Exhibiting products in context is often far more persuasive than flat images are. The ghost mannequin gives customers an idea of how a particular garment would fit a real person without running the risk of the mannequin or model pulling the focus away from it. 

In 1839 Henry Fox Talbot invented the calotype process, which used paper coated with silver iodide. With the improvements in the halftone printing process came the ability to reproduce photographs in magazines, which meant drawn illustrations no longer had to be used. The designs of Paul Poiret (1879-1944) signified the freedom from corsetry and introduced signature shapes such as the hobble skirt and harem pants. His designs were heavily influenced by antique dress-draping. In the 1920's and 1930's Vogue and Harpers Bazaar were leaders in fashion photography. Some of the more notable photographers featured in these two magazines at the time were Hoyningen-Huene, Horst P. Horst and Cecil Beaton. 

The work of Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) featured primarily in British Vogue and Vanity fair. She was a member of the "Bright Young Things" of the 1920's and 1930's and photographed numerous British Royals. Additionally, she designed sets, costumes and lighting for Broadway. 

Lee Miller (1907-1977) was an American photographer and fashion model at the age of 19. In 1929, she travelled to Paris with photographer Man Ray and became involved in the surrealist movement within photography. In 1944, she became a correspondent accredited to the US Army and worked with photographer David E. Scherman. She was, in all likeliness, the only female combat photojournalist to document the war in Europe, witnessing events such as the siege of St Malo and the Liberation of Paris among others. 

Louise Dahl Wolfe was a staff fashion photographer at Harpers Bazaar from 1936 till 1958. From then onwards she worked as a freelance photographer for Vogue and Sports Illustrated alongside numerous other magazines, until her retirement in 1960. Her work can be categorised as environmental fashion photography. 

Richard Avedon (1923-2004) worked at Harpers Bazaar till 1966 followed by a stint at Vogue. German photographer Juergen Teller has had his photographs published in both The Face and Vogue. He has worked with Vivien Westwood and Marc Jacobs as well as a number of musicians. Corrine Day (1965-2010) is a British model and fashion photographer who has worked for The Face  and Vogue. Her Vogue cover with Kate moss is often credited with the beginnings of the trend for the 'waif' look. In 2003, the introduction of Adobe Photoshop substantially changed fashion photography and gave way to a number of new photographers such as Terry Richardson and Nick Knight. 

Fashion blogging democratises fashion photography in the sense that it allows anyone to write about and photograph fashion. Some examples of this are Streetstyle Copenhagen and wiwt.com.