Toni Frissell: Fresh Air and Outdoors
Model in dolphin tank at Marineland, Florida, photographed by Toni Frissell in the June 1, 1941 issue of Vogue.
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- Model in dolphin tank at Marineland, Florida, photographed by Toni Frissell in the June 1, 1941 issue of Vogue.
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- Vogue, April 1, 1938
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- Vogue, June 1, 1941
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- Vogue, April 15, 1939
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- Vogue, June 15, 1939
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- Vogue, August 15, 1939
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Vogue, December 15, 1937
(Available at The Condé Nast Store)
Toni Frissell (1907-1988) was the first female staff photographer for Vogue. She is also known, if underappreciated, for her pioneering techniques during the ’30s, which literally moved fashion photography out of the studio and into the outdoors and produced some of the most imaginative camera angles, visual perspectives that remain influential in photography today. Her photos frequently focus on action, adventure, travel, and sport.
Frissell started as a caption writer at Vogue in 1930, but at the suggestion of the editor-in-chief at the time, Carmel Snow, she tried her hand at photography. Her first submission in 1931, photos of her friends in Rhode Island, was accepted and published by Town & Country under the title “Beauties at Newport.” At the same time, she began working as a staff photographer for Vogue, until 1942, when she decided to do freelance work. She contributed to several magazines, including Vogue, Life, Look, Sports Illustrated, and Harper’s Bazaar. During World War II, she was the official photographer for the American Red Cross and worked for the Women’s Army Corps, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Office of War Information in England and Scotland.
It is refreshing to see attention paid to Toni Frissell, who is certainly underappreciated in comparison to Louise Dahl-Wolfe, whose photography archive resides at the FIT Museum. In contrast, Frissell did not preserve her own legacy to passed on to fashion and photography historians. One small correction: Edna Woolman Chase was editor-in-chief at Vogue. Carmel Snow only reached that position when she moved to Harper’s Bazaar. Thanks for offering some eye-candy to curious fashionistas!
Thanks for your insight, Meghan, and for the correction as well. We appreciate being kept on our toes.