Elegance: The Seeberger Brothers and the Birth of Fashion Photography

by Virginie Chardin, Xavier Demange, Sylvie Aubenas

Modern fashion photography was born when three brothers, Parisian postcard photographers, shifted their lenses to the upper echelon of French society in the early twentieth century. As impromptu portraits of beautiful women in inimitable finery at racecourses, resorts, and cafs began to appear in magazines, courant designers such as Chanel, Herms, and Madeleine Vionnet rushed to send their models to posh watering holes to be photographed with the beau monde. The first-ever showcase of 300 rich black and white Seberger images, this luxe collection is a must-have for fashionistas, Francophiles, and vintage clothing enthusiasts. Elegance recalls a bygone era of glamour, and illuminates the candid beginnings of a now highly stylized photographic form.

Genres: Fashion, Photography, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2007

Reviews

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book traces the roots of fashion photography to the little-known Seeberger brothers, who photographed the fashionable at the Longchamp races and other sporting events in France. The brothers' photographs not only document the sartorial habits of the time period, but demonstrate an uncanny ability to capture the most interesting details or aspects of a particular garment or outfit. A book that doubles as a history and a coffee table book (the photographs are gorgeous!).

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

pretty pictures

[Michael Heath-Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on the development of fashions at the beginning of the 1900s