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Margot McKendry and China Machado with Members of the French Press. Dresses by Lanvin-Castillo and Heim, Paris Studio

Photograph
1961 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Avedon, Richard (photographer)
Place of origin
Paris (photographed)

Avedon's lively fashion photography contrasted sharply with the formal studio fashion shots that preceded it. In this image he plays out the contrast between the cold, statuesque beauty of the models and the clamour and animation of the journalists.


Object details

Category
Photographs
Object type
Photograph
TitleMargot McKendry and China Machado with Members of the French Press. Dresses by Lanvin-Castillo and Heim, Paris Studio
Materials and techniques
Gelatin-silver print
Brief description
'Margot McKendry and China Machado with Members of the French Press. Dresses by Lanvin-Castillo and Heim, Paris Studio', photograph by Richard Avedon (born 1923), Paris, 1961
Physical description
Photograph of two female models in haute couture dresses posing with their backs to a crowd of press photographers, journalists and hanger-ons.
Gallery label
  • Making It Up: Photographic Fictions (2018) Marta Weiss In these staged scenes, Avedon mocks the very industry in which he played such a major role – fashion. In one picture, buyers, writers and photographers clamour around two statuesque figures. In the other, a model is caught inside a car by a frenzied crowd of paparazzi.
  • Richard Avedon (1923–2004) Maxime McKendry and China Machado with Members of the French Press. Dresses by Lanvin-Castillo and Heim, Paris Studio, 1961 Suzy Parker, Dress by Nina Ricci, Champs- Elysees, Paris, 1962 In these staged scenes, Avedon mocks the very industry in which he played such a major role – fashion. In one picture, buyers, writers and photographers clamour around two statuesque figures. In the other, a model is caught inside a car by a frenzied crowd of paparazzi. Gelatin silver prints Museum nos. E.1256-1993, 1255-1993(23/7/2016-5/3/2017)
  • ‘Selling Dreams: One Hundred Years of Fashion Photography’, 2014. Label text: Richard Avedon (1923–2004) Margot McKendry and China Machado with Members of the French Press Fashion by Lanvin-Castillo and Heim, Paris Harper’s Bazaar, 1961 In this frenzied fashion scene, staged in Avedon’s Paris studio, the photographer mocks the industry in which he played such a major role. Statuesque figures in floor-length satin creations struggle to retain their poise amid the crush of photographers. Buyers and writers clamour to get a closer look. Gelatin silver print Museum no. E.1256-1993 (07 03 2014)
Credit line
Purchased 1993
Summary
Avedon's lively fashion photography contrasted sharply with the formal studio fashion shots that preceded it. In this image he plays out the contrast between the cold, statuesque beauty of the models and the clamour and animation of the journalists.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.1256-1993

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Record createdAugust 19, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O102538/margot-mckendry-and-china-machado-photograph-avedon-richard/
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