Description:

Richard Avedon
n.p., June 18, 1964
Richard Avedon 1964 Fashion Photoshoot Proofs, Possibly Unique!
Photograph
A pair of Richard Avedon proofs from a fashion shoot dated June 18, 1964, and showing two different shots of a model in dress with a gorgeous hat in hand. These incredible and probably unpublished images were included in the textbooks for the courses that Avedon, and other acclaimed photographers, taught at the Famous Photographers School in the 1960s.

Because one image is more elegant than the other and the piece was accompanied by modern notes saying "Wrong" and "Right," this pair was almost certainly used to demonstrate to students the best way to pose a model.

The images measure 8" x 10" each, with hand-inked black frames and a penciled note at left: "Keep black frames on art to give effect of contrast prints. AG (D)." They are also labeled "C" and "F" on the cardboard mount beneath the images, with the initial stamp "Lesson" and "Page" at bottom, filled-in in pencil "18" and "16-17". The overall size is 11.75" x 16.5". One mount exhibits two fingerprints at left margin, likely from hand-inking the borders, while both show light staining consistent with handling. The photos themselves are in fine condition.

On the verso, each of the photographs' mounts is stamped with the lesson and page on which it would appear in the course textbook, as well as "Original Art / Please Return to Art Archives Graphics Building." Additionally, a red "Famous Photographers School" stamp at bottom left. Lastly, both mounts are labeled "6/18/64."

Famous Photographers School (FPS) gathered the ten most famous American photographers of the mid-century. The goal was to teach aspiring photographers through courses designed by masters of their craft. Each photographer created works especially for the school coursebooks as well as illustrating the course textbooks with some of their most famous photographs.

This photograph comes directly from the archive of the Famous Photographers School, founded in 1961 and directed by renowned photographer Victor Keppler. It gathered as faculty the ten most famous American photographers of its time: Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Alfred Eisenstadt, Bert Stern, Richard Beattie, Philippe Halsman, Arthur d'Arazien, Joseph Costa, Ezra Stoller, Harry Garfield and others. Margaret Bourke-White served as faculty advisor.

Each photographer created works exclusively for the school textbooks, as well as illustrating the lessons with some of their most famous photographs. Most of the prints we offer here are stamped with page numbers corresponding to their placement in the books. Some even include detailed handwritten notations giving details on techniques. These prints were kept in file drawers following the dissolution of the school in the mid-seventies.

The images we offer here come directly from the photographers' studios. These works are the actual prints used to create iconic images featured in issues of LIFE, Time, Vogue, and so many other publications, and created long before limited-edition portfolios with signed examples of the photographers' works were offered widely. The Famous Photographers School Archive was purchased by a Connecticut photography expert. While much of it was then acquired by the Yale University Art Gallery in 2016, the original purchaser retained a small collection, which are now offered by University Archives.

Richard Avedon (1923-2004) was an American photographer and one of the most famous of his generation, remembered for his many images for publications like Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, LIFE, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He is best known for his photographs chronicling the American Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and iconic images of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, The Beatles, Andy Warhol and Tupac Shakur. He also worked for six years to create the images collected in the volume "In the American West," which is considered a seminal work in the field of photography.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 11.75" x 16.5"
  • Medium: Photograph

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