Born 1905, Katherine Beall Reynal was photographer, painter and former associate fashion editor of Vogue magazine. She began her career at Vogue in the late 1930s. In 1945, under the professional name of Kay Bell, she became a fashion photographer for both Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
Fashion photography in the 1940s by Kay Bell
In 1947, she married Eugene Reynal, publisher who brought many of his writers to her studio atop her East Side town house for picture-taking. Among them were T. S. Eliot, Ogden Nash, Carl Sandburg and Eudora Welty. Some of her photo portraits were later used on the dust jackets of their books.
Later, Mrs. Reynal turned to still-life painting. She died in 1977 at her home in Manhattan after a short illness. She was 72 years old. These black and white photos were part of her work that Kay Bell took portraits of models in the 1940s.
Marilyn Ambrose in a cabana dress of black and white rayon jersey, the printed leaves have sequins along the spines, by Tina Leser, photo by Kay Bell at the Camelback Inn, Arizona, Vogue, March 15, 1945
Marilyn Ambrose in a mauve jersey dress, photo by Kay Bell, Vogue, April 1, 1945
Marilyn Ambrose in dinner sarong in tangled white, black and cocoa brown cotton piqué by Hope Skillman, photo by Kay Bell, Camelback Mountain, Arizona, Vogue, March 15, 1945
Model in a bright-and-black gingham dress with bold plaid skirt and short sleeves, belted in black patent leather by David Crystal, photo by Kay Bell in front of a painting by Max Weber, Vogue, April 1, 1945
Model in a pink-and-black striped piqué party dress by Capri, photo by Kay Bell, Vogue, April 15, 1945
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