Black Butterfly Photography-Chicago

01/03/2025

Horst P. Horst, one of the most iconic fashion photographers of the 20th century, rose to fame in the 1930s and 1940s with his strikingly elegant and sophisticated photography. Born in Germany in 1906, Horst moved to Paris in 1930, where he began working with legendary designers such as Coco Chanel. His work in the 1930s was characterized by dramatic lighting, refined compositions, and a strong emphasis on classical beauty. In the 1940s and 1950s, Horst’s images became synonymous with high fashion, capturing the essence of the era’s glamour and elegance. His portraits and fashion shots were often featured in prestigious publications like Vogue, where he established his reputation as one of the leading photographers of his time.

Horst’s work was defined by his use of stark contrasts and meticulous attention to detail. In the 1949 photograph mentioned, he captured the refined aesthetic of the late 1940s, showcasing the era's transition from wartime austerity to post-war opulence. The late 1940s and early 1950s saw a resurgence in fashion's elegance, epitomized by the post-World War II "New Look" by Christian Dior, which emphasized soft, feminine silhouettes. Horst’s photos from this period often depicted models in luxurious gowns, poised with grace and sophistication. His ability to create timeless, artistic images elevated fashion photography into a respected form of visual art.

Horst's legacy extended beyond his fashion shoots. His portraits of cultural icons, such as Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, further solidified his place in the pantheon of great photographers. Throughout his career, Horst embraced the balance of technical precision and artistic expression, creating images that were both captivating and visionary. His work from the 1940s and 1950s remains influential today, inspiring contemporary fashion photography and maintaining its relevance in the world of high fashion and vintage photography.

11/10/2024

Vivian Maier, an enigmatic and self-taught photographer, is best known for her vivid, intimate street portraits captured across the streets of New York and Chicago during the mid-20th century. Though she worked as a nanny for most of her life, Maier’s true passion lay in photography. She was rarely recognized for her work in her lifetime, with her photographs remaining largely unseen until they were discovered posthumously in 2007.

In the mid-1950s, Maier spent significant time in New York, where she roamed the streets, capturing everyday life with a distinctive eye. One of her most beloved subjects was animals, particularly cats, which she often photographed in moments of calm and curiosity. Her 1954 image of a contented cat in New York is a perfect example of her ability to capture the quiet, almost unnoticed moments that reveal the essence of urban life. In this image, the cat’s contentment contrasts with the chaotic energy of New York City, a city that Maier herself observed from the margins.

Maier's work offers an unparalleled glimpse into the everyday lives of New Yorkers, revealing the city's diversity and the personalities of its residents, both human and animal. She had an uncanny ability to be present in the moment, capturing candid, unposed images that radiated authenticity. Although Maier never sought fame, her work today is regarded as one of the most significant photographic legacies of the 20th century.

Her images, including the joyful cat of 1954, continue to capture the imagination of audiences worldwide. They are a testament to the power of street photography and the lasting impact of a photographer who never sought recognition but whose work now speaks volumes about the world she quietly documented.

10/28/2024

Captures from Mom's 92nd Birthday brunch. The food was so good I forgot to take pictures of it.

10/27/2024

Had a photo gig on the "Best Side" last evening, and happened upon these decorations...

10/16/2024

View from my porch last night...

09/29/2024

When your Sister brings her Grandbaby to see you...

09/17/2024

09/16/2024

More captures from the South Chicago Mexican Independence Day Parade.

09/14/2024

09/02/2024

Rest in Peace and Power Queen Mother Julia White. You were and will remain the Queen of Chicago's Cowboy Culture. Your loving, warm and welcoming spirit will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.

08/31/2024

Calvin Littlejohn was an African American photographer in Fort Worth, Texas, who documented the black community for more than forty years, between the 1940s and the early 1990s. Through his photographs he celebrated the richness and complexity of black culture in segregated Fort Worth. Calvin Littlejohn was born in rural Arkansas on August 1, 1909, and was reared by his grandparents, Decatur and Nellie Davis. Littlejohn’s first job was in domestic service with a local white family who paid him enough to cover tuition at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he enrolled in 1931 and studied commercial art. Littlejohn's natural aptitude for drawing was perfected by correspondence courses in graphic design and a stint in a photo shop where he learned about the camera, lighting, and the use of shadows. Littlejohn left Philander Smith College after one academic year (1931-32) of college, and moved to Fort Worth when his employers decided to relocate to Texas in 1934 and continued to work in domestic service positions until he accepted a job with the Fort Worth Independent School District, teaching in the Industrial Arts Department. He soon became the first photographer for I. M. Terrell High School, the only black high school in town. Littlejohn shot images for the school newspaper and yearbook, and he quickly opened his own studio in his home and helped to establish a black community newspaper, the Lake Como Weekly, also known as the Como Monitor. During the Jim Crow era, when mainstream newspapers would not publish photographs of black citizens and white photographers would not photograph blacks unless a crime had been committed, Littlejohn provided the African American community’s photographic record. World War II interrupted Littlejohn’s photographic work when he enlisted in the US Army on July 3, 1942. He served as an Army private at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Upon his return from service in 1945, Littlejohn began expanding his scope to include photographing recreation hall parties, speaking engagements, visiting celebrities, church events, school activities, and other everyday events, which produced more candid images than his studio portrait work. To keep up with the demands of his schedule, he invented the Plantation Printer, which allowed him to expose 46-millimeter film, five frames at a time. The demands of his successful photography studio, as well as occasional freelance photography for newspapers like the Fort Worth Mind, Lake Como Monitor, La Vida News, the Fort Worth Press, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram occupied much of his time. Littlejohn's work provides a comprehensive portrait of the African-American experience in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, Texas for over five decades. On September 6, 1993, Littlejohn died at his home in Fort Worth. He was 84 years old. His legacy is preserved in the Calvin Littlejohn Photographic Archives housed at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.