An American master.

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While there is only one very small color reproduction in this massive book, the whole thing is printed in four tone color, rendering the monochrome images in exceptional depth, mostly with a warm tone. As the sparse text points out, the magazine originals from Steichen’s time as the chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair would have masked indications of manual retouching which are clearly visible here. Noses, in particular, appear to get a lot of work! The text also avers that Steichen differed from his successor Hoyningen-Heune and his successor Horst in that Steichen’s work was far more varied. I have to agree. Steichen was much more creative with props and locations, where Hoyningen-Heune and Horst tended to use the same Greek statues and painted backgrounds time and again.

A couple of special favorites include Lee Miller (Plate 100, 114) showcasing the beauty of a woman who would go on to become a great photographer in her own right, and of the peerless Vladimir Horowitz (Plate 107 – dark and brooding) whose Chopin and Scriabin are increasingly the only interpretations I care to listen to.

This book is not just a survey of great clothes and famous wearers, but most importantly it is a showcase for the work of a great American master photographer, the highest paid of his time.