“Irving Penn: Small Trades” – Portraits of Skilled Workers of Various Professions During the Mid-20th Century

In the early 1950s, Irving Penn embarked on a project called *Small Trades*, inspired by old prints of street criers, with the help of French Vogue editor Edmonde Charles-Roux and photographer Robert Doisneau.

This series celebrated tradespeople from Paris, London, and New York, depicting them with their tools and a sense of pride in their work, creating a vivid portrait of mid-20th-century labor. Penn photographed his subjects in their work attire, using natural light against a plain canvas backdrop, preserving their authenticity. Over two decades, he revisited and refined these portraits with platinum prints that highlighted their painterly qualities. As one of the most influential post-war photographers, Penn revolutionized fashion and portrait photography, capturing both celebrated figures and everyday individuals with equal brilliance.

h/t: vintag.es

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