Remembering the Life of Fashion Photographer Lillian Bassman

Glamour, sophistication and drive carried iconic fashion photographer Lillian Bassman through her final days – passing at the age of 94 years old this week, inside her Manhattan home and surrounded by loved ones.

In the early ’40s, under the direction of high school friend Alexey Brodovitch, Bassman served as a visionary for Junior Bazaar and later from 1950 to 1965, dressed the pages of Harper’s Bazaar with her mysterious and captivating black and white photography.

It was her undeniable fervor for artistic manipulation inside the darkroom that eventually brought Bassman back to fashion, after abandoning it for nearly twenty years. After a houseguest discovered a bag filled with discarded prints and negatives, the photographer rekindled her passion with the help of digital technology.

Her curiosity and dedication to the art form will forever serve as inspiration for future artists, as it did for Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, Louis Faurer and Arnold Newman – four photographers showcased by Bassman during her Harper’s Bazaar days.

With 74 years of marriage to high school love Paul Himmel and decades of unmatched expression, Bassman exemplifies a full life of love and creativity – something we all aspire for.

If 2012 calls for a new coffee table book check out Lillian Bassman and Lillian Bassman Lingerie – each invite us into a world of true beauty.

Visit: Lillian Bassman, Lillian Bassman Lingerie

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