Richard Avedon, Erwin Blumenfeld, Clifford Coffin, Irving Penn, and Lillian Bassman—the list of fashion photographers who have captured the mastery of Christian Dior is endlessly iconic. Those spellbinding images have played a major part in defining the look of the house throughout the years and are the subject of “The Legendary Images: Great Photographers and Dior,” the latest exhibition to open at the Christian Dior Museum in Granville, France, formally the couturier’s childhood home. Over 200 photos are featured, alongside 60 corresponding couture dresses that give the archival pictures an added dimension. That said, many of them have become as transcendent as the clothes themselves. “The history of Dior corresponds with the golden age of fashion,” says head curator Florence Müller. “In the ’40s and ’50s, the house of Christian Dior was the most famous in the world, and there was a phenomenon that every photographer wanted to work on the creation of Dior.” We talked to Müller about the stories she uncovered while sifting through the archives, including Avedon’s Dovima with Elephants, and how the advent of color photography brought Dior’s vibrant aesthetic into focus.
How involved was Christian Dior in the image-making process?
We can’t imagine that he was a part of the photography process. These photos were taken during the haute couture presentations. It was a fight between the magazines to have access to the garments, and often they had to shoot during the night because during the day the collection was presented to the press, then the buyers, and then the clients. More recently—let’s say the past ten years—you have this kind of connection, when an artistic director is more involved in the world of image. Of course, there’s a chapter in the book in which we do have the portraits of Mr. Dior and we can see that he did, perhaps, have a close relationship with the likes of Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Lord Snowdon also took his portrait. He was very close to Willy Maywald.
Were some photographers allowed more access to Dior’s world than others?
Yes, take the photo by Pat English, for example. She was (though she’s still alive) a former model and the only photographer authorized to take pictures of the first show in 1947, the famous show. We don’t know why this is. Perhaps because she was beautiful and she had such great taste? She was working for Life magazine, so this picture, she was not a fashion photographer in the purest sense, and it is the only photo where we can see the New Look show.
Were there any unexpected discoveries in your research for this project?
Yes, for example, we have an original print of the Richard Avedon’s famous photograph Dovima with Elephants. This photo has never been exhibited as an original print and it has Avedon’s signature as well. It is on loan from the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and they only discovered it while this exhibition was being put together. They have the most enormous archives.
Why would the Foundation have this print? Did Bergé acquire it for his private collection?
Well, I believe there is a clear explanation and it’s very interesting. This shoot was organized by Avedon at the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris. The family who was in charge of the circus is still alive and they have kept documents from the shoot. They have a photo by Avedon of them in the frame with the elephants while the shot is being set up. The image is signed by Avedon—just like this one from the Foundation. So I believe that Yves Saint Laurent [who at the time was Dior’s assistant and designer of Dovima’s dress] was on the shoot, or at least nearby, and Avedon gave him a print as a gift. Imagine the value of this print!
What about the shift from black-and-white photography to color? How did this affect fashion photography?
You know, it changed the way the image was built. With black-and-white, you can play much more with the composition of the image. In those times, the lighting was very sophisticated as well. With color, the use of natural light became more common, and you can’t really control that, so it became about catching a moment.
Color was important to Mr. Dior throughout the design process as well.
Yes, absolutely. Dior loved color. His favorite colors were rose, pale gray, and also pale blue in the manner of the eighteenth century—the typical colors of Louis XVI and the time of the Le Petit Trianon. But Dior also liked strong color and he used it for contrast. He loved red: It was in every collection, for what he called his “Coup de Trafalgar.” Each look was presented, and suddenly he would make a strong statement—a spectacular red dress, usually an evening gown. Red is the color of the show-off for him, the color of passion. From my point of view, he was very romantic . . . and then he liked contrasts; the contrast between black and white as seen with the original Bar suit.
There are some reoccurring backdrops that tie these images together—the streets of Paris, the café scenes, the opulence of Versailles, the atelier itself. Why do you think photographers approached the locations for Dior in such a consistent manner?
With the exhibition, I wanted to express the fantasy of an elegant woman in Paris, the capital of luxury and sophistication. During the World War II, American manufacturers began working in a very independent way, and when Christian Dior launched, he reestablished the idea that you had to go to Paris to see the trends. He was really like an ambassador of the French taste: He was the vehicle of this idea, which is built with architecture, art, and lifestyle. And what is interesting is that this is still relevant.
“The Legendary Images: Great Photographers and Dior” is on display at the Christian Dior Museum in Granville, Normandy until September 21, 2014. For information: musee-dior-granville.com