Art and the Marketplace: The Condé Nast Store

I was reading the trusty New Yorker last night, and came across this ad for the Condé Nast store. I knew about the existence of said store, primar...

I was reading the trusty New Yorker last night, and came across this ad for the Condé Nast store. I knew about the existence of said store, primarily because of that cool limited edition Vignelli subway diagram Men’s Vogue was selling a few months ago.

But I didn’t realize the trove that was available here. The copy from the ad says:

Thousands of iconic photographs, classic covers and illustrations from Vanity Fair, Vogue, Gourmet, Golf Digest, and other magazines.

Customize your archival print with a variety of premium matting and hardwood frames.

So then I went to take a look. I was skeptical, because this seems like a nice way to make a buck from the masses. And Condé Nast is already doing a fair bit of that. But I immediately got lost in the Vogue photography section. Aside from being a store, this place is a nice little research library. There’s some amazing stuff in here, including my beloved Toni Frissell. I learned things!

Here are some of my favorites:

A Sun Shade
Artist: Erwin Blumenfeld

Though he began his photographic career with politically themed work, Erwin Blumenfeld broke fashion ground, particularly with his clean, iconic beauty portraits. His elegantly simple picture focuses the viewer’s eye on the perfect fuchsia-hued lips of a flaxen-haired model wearing a sunshade. The image appeared in the May 1, 1945, Vogue.

On the Prow
Artist: Toni Frissell

Like a heroine of the sea, a beautifully figured model stands on the prow of a ship wearing a long, covered-up jersey of lisle in the reddish hue of a Brittany fisherman’s and a scanty black swimsuit from Peck & Peck. Photographed against an expansive sky with very little of the ship, this image stimulates the senses and true sensation of limitlessness. Toni Frissell’s photograph appeared in the July 1, 1940, Vogue.

Funny Pages
Artist: Louis Faurer

A comic-reading model in a confetti-print girdle is the subject of this Louis Faurer photograph, which appeared in the February 15, 1963, Vogue. The color scheme–and quirky attitude–found in the girdle are nicely mimicked in the newspaper, lending a sense of hilarity to this otherwise ordinary product shot.

Gloria Vanderbilt
Artist: Gianni Penati

Designer and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt is the subject of this Gianni Penati portrait, which appeared in the October 15, 1968, Vogue. Vanderbilt wears a lavender blouse, with the collar popped for dramatic effect. In the background is wallpaper depicting various purple violets, accented with green leaves. The extreme close-up nature of this shot is unusual for the era, which makes this piece feel very intimate.

Veruschka in Arizona
Artist: Franco Rubartelli

Model Veruschka became a muse for an entire line during this shoot in the Arizona desert, which was photographed by her then boyfriend, Franco Rubartelli, and which appeared in the July 1, 1968, Vogue. Stylist Giorgio di Sant’Angelo–a dear friend of Veruschka’s–became a veritable designer with a hallowed place in fashion history when he enveloped his friend in a honey-colored wrap with a fur hood and leather straps. A collection was born, as was this now legendary image.

Flowered Hat
Artist: John Rawlings

A model applies lipstick in a most unconventional manner in this John Rawlings photograph, which appeared in the March 15, 1943, Vogue. Her head and forearms are portruding from what appears to be a wall, and she is impeccably attired in bracelets, gloves, and even a flower-studded hat. This piece is quite surreal, and it’s a rare example of a high-concept, offbeat photograph from the era.

Model Surrounded by Satin Slippers
Artist: Horst P. Horst

A model reclines on a satin pillow while confronted with a feast of footwear. She wears misty blue crushed-back evening gloves that match her strapless gown while she decides among the array of candy-colored satin slippers. Horst P. Horst’s photograph appeared in the October 1, 1941, Vogue.

Two Ladies and Their Poodles
Artist: John Rawlings

Two poodle-flanked models appear in this John Rawlings photograph, which appeared in the April 15, 1945, Vogue. They wear contrasting ensembles from Sophie of Saks Fifth Avenue. The woman on the left wears a traditional dress and floral bonnet. Her more progressive companion wears a suit dress and fedora. Even the chairs mimic the fashion choices, with the antique style on the left contrasting with the contemporary chair on the right. This attention to detail suggests that Rawlings intended to document a period of changing styles, and that such transformation was a serious matter.

Dining with a Cheetah
Artist: Leombruno-Bodi

This
striking, imaginative image features a most unusual dining experience. A model in a black crepe dress and large feather hat by Lilly Daché gazes intently at a cheetah. The jungle cat appears quite civilized, given the napkin tied around its neck and the champagne bucket next to
its place setting. Leombruno-Bodi’s elaborately staged photograph appeared in the November 1, 1960, Vogue.

Model & Lincoln Continental
Artist: John Rawlings

A model stands before a slide of a blue 1960 Lincoln Continental Mark V. She wears a black sweater and a leopard-fur hat with a squared crown and brim turned down over her left eye. She and the Lincoln compete for the viewer’s attention. John Rawlings’s photograph appeared in the November 1, 1959, Vogue.

Yeah, so I don’t know what’s up with Gloria Vanderbilt’s makeup, but I thought those were pretty rad. The pricing seems standardized for prints, ranging from $180 for an unframed 12×15 print to $1500 for a framed 32×40 print. Not outrageous. But hearty.

I wonder if any of the artists see a cut?

In any case, I was almost done with my perusing when it occurred to me (I don’t know why) to go look at the prints Golf Digest had for sale. Holy crow; Dom Furore!

A golf course has never been so beautiful.

Photo by Dom Furore

Formerly
the Lenox Hills Country Club, the land was purchased by the state and
Bethpage State Park was created in the 1930s. Three of the park’s
courses were designed by A.W. Tillinghast, including the Black Course.
When the 2002 U.S. Open was played at Bethpage, it marked the first
time the championship ever had been played on a municipal facility.
This image of the bunkers at night on the 17th hole was taken by Golf
Digest Senior Staff Photographer Dom Furore. The Black Course was
ranked No. 5 in Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses 2007-08.

Photo by Dom Furore

Also make sure to check out the Vanity Fair portraits.

Update: Just found this John Rawlings image in the Glamour database ( from 1947!!!) Um, can we please bring back the rear projection in fashion photography? Change the outfit up, and this one’s positively contemporary.

kthnx.

Wanted by Uncle Sam
Artist: John Rawlings

An
omnipresent Uncle Sam looms even larger in this photograph. A model in
a red checked dress made of spun rayon stands in front of his image,
regarding the icon intently. His face–and her dress–are the only things
to fully emerge from the shadows, which suggests the photographer might
have had more than one motive. John Rawlings’s work appeared in the
September 1947 Glamour.