Born 1925 in Paris, French photographer Georges Dambier got his first job with a magazine, Presse, where he met and assisted the up-and-coming photographer Willy Rizzo at the end of WWII. It was his natural skill with graphics and penchant for stylish women which led him to concentrate on fashion photography. Within a few years he was regularly photographing the beauties of the day: Dorien Leigh, Suzy Parker and Brigitte Bardot.
Fashion photography by Georges Dambier in the 1950s
It was not long before Helene Lazareff, the famous editor of Elle, took notice of his work and offered him a position at Elle. This was a fantastic opportunity for Dambier which he happily took advantage of. It was while working with Elle that he became one of the first French photographers to take models out of the studio for their shoots. It is here, on the streets of Paris, that Dambier took some of his most memorable and engaging photographs. In 1954, his friend Robert Capa suggested to George that they start up a “Fashion Department” at the photo-agency Magnum. Unfortunately this never happened: several days later Capa died unexpectedly while working in Vietnam.
Between 1960 and 1980, Dambier started and worked at two important publications that helped spread his fame. In 1964, he created the magazine, Twenty, which embodied a new publishing concept in the early 1960s: presenting fashion and culture in a style to attract a younger generation of readers. The second magazine he worked on came about in 1980 when the popular news magazine, V.S.D., took an editorial turn towards the arts, and for the next ten years became the second most popular magazine in France, after Paris Match.
Georges Dambier died in 2011 at the age of 86. These stunning photos are part of his work that he took portraits of classic beauties in the 1950s.
Bettina Graziani at the Miro Show, Elle, Summer Collection Jacques Fath, photo by Georges Dambier, Paris, 1953
Dorian Leigh at aux Puce (Flea Market), photo by Georges Dambier, Paris, 1953
Dorian Leigh in a tweed ensemble by Lanvin-Castillo, photo by Georges Dambier, Champs Elysees, Paris, 1953
Fiona Campbell-Walter, photo by Georges Dambier for Elle, Paris, 1953
Suzy Parker with daffodils, photo by Georges Dambier, Paris, 1953
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