Irving Penn

Irving Penn, born on June 16, 1917 in Plainfield, New Jersey, is an American photographer famous for his high fashion images and insightful portraits. Penn planned to become a painter but accepted a job designing the cover of the fashion magazine Vogue at age twenty-six. He quickly began photographing his own images for covers and soon became a fashion photographer. In 1950 he married Liza Fonssagrives, who served as a model for a lot of his greatest photographs. Although his fashion photographs are serious and convey an impression of elegance and luxury, he achieves this tone through a refined composition and precise use of line rather than through the use of elaborate props. The focus of Penn’s portraits is light. Using only a simple backdrop, he causes the model to reveal their personality to the camera, creating photographs that are simple and direct, yet sophisticated at the same time. All of Penn’s photographs are famous for their subtle tones, directness, intelligent composition, and sophistication. In 1958, Penn was named one of “The World’s Greatest Photographers” in an international poll conducted by Popular Photography Magazine. Penn died on October 7, 2009 at the age of 92.