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Penn Finds a New Beauty: The brilliance of Irving Penn's 1960s photography captured cultural change with a modern lens.

Model wearing Yellow Sungoggles, Vogue (1965-04-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

Irving Penn’s pictures of 1950's couture for Vogue are among the most iconic images in the history of photography. Their magnificence has attracted so much éclat that much of the work that Penn did during the following decade hasn’t received the attention it deserves.

Model in a Silver-Framed Visor, Vogue (1965-04-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

Fashion and the culture went through a seismic shift in the 1960s; Penn picked up on the new cultural currents and filtered them, literally and figuratively, through his lens—after making some adjustments in the studio, that is.

Naomi Sims in a Jacques Tiffeau Red Dress, Vogue (1970-05-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

To best capture the dynamism of the new decade, Penn created a light that had “Pop.” He also swapped out the quiet beauty of his usual gray canvas background for a stark, ultra-modern white one.

Brigitte Bauer in a Hat of Organza Peonies, Vogue, Irving Penn, 1965-02-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Model in a Scarf Hat, Vogue, Irving Penn, 1965-02-15, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Model in Yardley Makeup Vogue (1965-04-15) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

Penn was in a moment of personal and professional development at this time: In 1960 he published his first book, Moments Preserved, and made his gallery debut at Alexandre Iolas in New York.

Elizabeth of Toro in Pat Sandler Dress, Vogue (1969-09-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

While he remained busy shooting print ads, he expanded into a new medium, television, with an ad series commissioned by Pepsi. Concurrently he was mastering the time-honored art of platinum/palladium printing in his studio.

Veruschka in a Green Silk Dress, Vogue (1968-04-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive



There was nothing old-fashioned about the Youthquake’s new faces. Replacing the classic beauty of mid-century greats, like Dovima and Jean Patchett, was an appreciation for more eccentric looks.

Lauren Hutton in Laurence Gross, Vogue (1966-09-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

The gamine Twiggy became a household name, while German-born Veruschka and all-American Lauren Hutton were Vogue’s top cover girls.

Veronica Hamel in David Webb Ring, Vogue (1964-09-15) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

A look through back issues of the magazine reveals that Penn—who was married to model Lisa Fonssagrives, the archetypal 1950s face—had an eye for all kinds of beauty.

Barbara Streisand with Bobbed Hair, Vogue (1965-08-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive



For the August 1st, 1965 issue of Vogue, Penn turned his beauty eye to the ’60's hottest ticket on Broadway: Barbra Streisand. Through the lens of Penn, Streisand appears like a Greek statue with a white fur wrap and glove that look like marble.

Veruschka in Hair Rings by Paraphenalia, Vogue (1966-06-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

Veruschka, sporting hair rings by Paraphernalia that look less like accessories than Pop Art pieces, was his subject for a shoot that ran in the June 1966 issue of Vogue. Penn captured the model looking like a character in a science fiction story.

Astrid Heeren in Courreges Bonnet, Vogue (1964-11-15) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

Hats and scarves were also essential to the ’60s-era beauty look. Penn, always with an eye toward the abstract, turned these headpieces into Cubist abstractions.

Model in a Green Hat by Halston, Vogue, Irving Penn, 1965-01-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Wilhelmina Cooper in a Red Hat with Silk Poppies by Halston, Vogue, Irving Penn, 1965-04-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Naomi Sims in Giorgio di Sant'Angelo Dress and Turban, Vogue (1969-09-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

Penn, always a man of his times, found in the 1960s a new light, a new setting, and a new point of view.

Wilhelmina in a Colorful Adolfo Hat, Vogue (1965-03-01) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

Just as Veruschka seemed to be a character from another time and place, models like Wilhelmina Cooper and Astrid Heeren might easily have been at home in a painting by Picasso or Braque.

Susan Murray in Castillo, Vogue (1967-11-15) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

As he had done before and as he would do again in later decades, Penn defined for Vogue and its readers what was truly modern.

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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