Horst Horst

Horst P. Horst was a German-born photographer who produced distinctive, elegant work that made him one of the leading fashion photographers of the mid-20th century. He preferred studio work, and his sessions would sometimes last for days as he searched for the right blend of light and shadow. Originally an architecture student, he was for a short time an apprentice to Le Corbusier in Paris. His career in photography began after he met photographer George Hoyningen-Huene, and by 1931 he was shooting for French Vogue. Horst moved to the U.S. in 1939, shortly after taking his most famous signature shot, that of a model wearing an unraveling corset, and he later became a U.S. citizen. He changed his name to prevent his being confused with Nazi official Martin Bormann and generally became known by the single name Horst. He soon was immersed in the world of the New York glitterati, and, along with his fashion work, he became acclaimed for his portraits of the powerful and the famous—Harry S. Truman, Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich, and Jacqueline Kennedy, among others. Horst’s fashion photos were characterized by the anonymous treatment of models, who were essentially transformed into exquisite clothes hangers. Though his work graced the pages of American Vogue for many years, his style eventually was replaced by more humanistic, natural approaches. He remained active, however, as a photographer of interiors, and he continued shooting until 1991.