WW II Kodachrome Photographs

My son sent me a link to Pavel Kosenko's blog which showcases 4 x 5 Kodachrome photographs from World War II.  I am posting some of the images by Alfred T. Palmer, several of which were shot for the Office of War Information.  For me, these photographs feel like glamor shots - for some reason, they make me think of George Hurrell's Hollywood portraits!  Maybe I am just responding to the time period and how that may have influenced this style of shooting. 

I am also posting a shot from this same time frame by Howard R. Hollem that shows not just the vivid colour of Kodachrome, but the exceptional detail it rendered - check out the fuzz on the woman's pink sweater.  I encourage you to check out Pavel's blog to see more of these beautiful, vintage photographs replete with captions.  Enjoy!

This next shot is by Howard R. Hollem (see what I mean about the pink fuzz?)

Pep Bonet

In 2005, Pep Bonet won the W. Eugene Smith Humanistic Grant in Photography.  He has won numerous other awards, too, and is a most prolific photographer - click on his name above to view his website where you will see the extensive amount of important and powerful work he has produced.  Much of the work I am showing here is from his series entitled, "Faith in Chaos" which he shot in Sierra Leone and which won him the W. Eugene Smith grant.  I encourage you to read the artist's statement on that series by clicking on the link above which I'll provide again since it is something I really hope you'll read:  "Faith in Chaos".  I have also included some images from his exhibition, "Watching in Silence" and a few other random images from other series.  Most of Pep Bonet's work centers on human rights, social issues such as HIV/Aids, and the cruel aftermath of war along with the spirit to overcome it.

Cecil Beaton

What I should have done was to put these photographs in chronological order, for then we would see the development of Cecil Beaton's work. But, I didn't do that. I have allowed these images to load in random order as a deliberate measure to emphasize how varied yet consistent his work. (Actually, I didn't do it deliberately, some were clustered together intentionally while the rest were simply just random. I'm trying to justify my laziness in not curating these properly. Part of the problem is that Beaton was prolific -- even editing down to this selection was no easy feat.)

As a young child, Cecil Beaton's inspiration came from society women and actresses. He got his first camera -- a Kodak camera -- at age eleven. In the 1920s, Beaton was a staff photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair ... he continued as a staff photographer for Conde Nasté publications through the 1960s. For me, personally, his name is synonymous with 'Old Hollywood Portraiture'. From heavily staged scenes to dramatic portraits, he then turned to being an official war photographer when he signed up with the British Ministry of Information at the beginning of World War II. After the war, he turned his attention back to his photography, fashion illustrations and costume design. He won Academy Awards for Costume Design both for Gigi and My Fair Lady and an additional award for Art Direction for My Fair Lady.

(Photo above of Greta Garbo)

Norma Shearer for Vanity Fair, 1930

Jungman Twins, 1926

Tallulah Bankhead

Jean Harlow

Nancy Beaton

Mrs. Charles James, New York, 1955

Truman Capote, Morocco, 1959

Mick Jagger

Marlon Brando

Marlene Dietrich, 1935

Marilyn Monroe

Kyra Nijinsky, 1935

Gwili Andre, 1932



Eileen Dunn (shot for Life Magazine)

Charles James Gowns for Vogue, 1948

Baroness von Thyssen at Roger Vivier's Apartment

Audrey Hepburn, 1960

Andy Warhol and Candy Darling, 1969



Greta Garbo
Jean Shrimpton, 1964

Princess Ira von Furstenberg, 1955

Self Portrait while shooting portrait of Mick Jagger

One of Beaton's sketches of a gown he designed.

The Royal Air Force: The rear gunner in his position in a Wellington bomber. (From the Ministry of Information Second World War Collection.)

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Here is an editorial piece on Beaton from the TSY blog that is an interesting read.