The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

November 19, 2015

November 19, 1895

Louise Dahl-Wolfe (November 19, 1895 to December 11, 1989) was a photographer whose position at Harper's Bazaar enabled her to change the way fashion is portrayed.

An article in the New York Times put it this way:(June 6, 2000):

''Louise has a pivotal role moving fashion photography out of formal studio work into a portrayal of the active, modern American woman,'' Amy Rule, an archivist at the Center for Creative Photography, said.

Her husband was also an artist:

It was on a train platform in Tunisia in 1928 that Miss Dahl, 32, spotted her future husband, a sculptor from Tennessee named Meyer Wolfe. ''She saw him,'' Irving Solero, who befriended Mrs. Dahl-Wolfe in 1978, recalled, ''and said, 'That's for me.' '' The two married that same year. 


Without fail, those who knew Mrs. Dahl-Wolfe remark on the intense bond she and her husband shared. ''They lived together nonstop, 24 hours a day,'' said Mr. Solero, who spent time with the couple in their Frenchtown, N.J., home, known as the Creamery. ''They fought all the time, but a fight would erupt for five seconds and then it was over.'' Mr. Wolfe would travel with his wife, typically picking her up for lunch during out-of-town shoots.

Dahl-Wolfe took this photo below, which was published in a 1951 Harper's Bazaar issue.





According to another source, "Louise Dahl-Wolfe introduced a witty naturalism to the staid conventions of fashion photography...."

Well put.

No comments: