Author: beauchambers

Toni Frissell

by beau

American photographer Toni Frissell or, Antoinette Frissell Bacon was born in 1907 in New York City. She is known for her journalistic photographs of WW2, and her revolutionary approach to sports fashion photography. Surprisingly, Frissell started out as an actress before she became a photographer. After attempting the stage, Frissell decided it was not for her. Her brother, a photographer and filmmaker, first introduced her to the medium which was still relatively new at the time. Eventually, she found work as a fashion photographer at Vogue. After that, she worked for various companies on a freelance basis.

Image Attribution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toni_Frissell,_Fashion_model,_Washington,_D.C.,_1949.jpg Toni Frissell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Frissell’s main contribution to her field was her creation of the illusion of the un-staged feeling many of her photographs had. In that time, high fashion was supposed to feel glamorous, staged, and out of reach for the lower classes. However, Frissell’s images seem to capture and air of unselfconsciousness and spontaneity, that made fashion seem more realistic and attainable. She often took her models outside in plein air, sometimes even using horses to create free but majestic ambiance.

Image attribution: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lisa_Fonssagrives_at_Paddington_Station,_London,_1951.jpg Library of Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons