Gorgeous Photos Of Classic Beauties Taken From Between The 1940s And 1960s By Philippe Halsman

Marilyn Monroe, photo by Philippe Halsman, variant used for cover of LIFE, November 9, 1959

Philippe Halsman (2 May 1906 – 25 June 1979) was born in Riga and began to take photographs in Paris in the 1930s. He opened a portrait studio in Montparnasse in 1934, where he photographed André Gide, Marc Chagall, André Malraux, Le Corbusier and other writers and artists, using an innovative twin-lens reflex camera that he had designed himself.

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Gene Tierney, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1945

Elizabeth Taylor poses for LIFE magazine, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1948

He arrived in the United States in 1940, just after the fall of France, having obtained an emergency visa through the intervention of Albert Einstein.

Elizabeth Taylor, photo by Philippe Halsman for LIFE, 1948

In the course of his prolific career in America, Halsman produced reportage and covers for most major American magazines, including a staggering 101 covers for Life magazine. His assignments brought him face-to-face with many of the century’s leading personalities.

Actress Janet Leigh, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1951

In 1945, he was elected the first president of the American Society of Magazine Photographers, where he led the fight for photographers’ creative and professional rights. His work soon won international recognition, and in 1951, he was invited by the founders of Magnum Photos to join the organization as a ‘contributing member’, so that they could syndicate his work outside the United States. This arrangement still stands.

Janet Leigh poses in swimsuit, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1951

Halsman began a thirty-seven-year collaboration with Salvador Dalí in 1941 which resulted in a stream of unusual Photographs of Ideas, including Dalí Atomicus and the Dalí’s Mustache series. In the early 1950s, Halsman began to ask his subjects to jump for his camera at the conclusion of each sitting. These uniquely witty and energetic images have become an important part of his photographic legacy.

Gina Lollobrigida, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1954

Grace Kelly poses for LIFE magazine, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1954

Grace Kelly wearing gown by Leslie Morris poses for LIFE magazine, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1954

Grace Kelly, photo by Philippe Halsman, New York City, 1954

Audrey Hepburn posing for LIFE cover (July 18, 1955), photo by Philippe Halsman, La Vigna, Italy, 1955

Grace Kelly in duchesse satin gown by Edith Head, photo by Philippe Halsman for cover of Life magazine, Apr. 11, 1955

Grace Kelly, photo by Philippe Halsman, February 9, 1955

Beautiful Mexican film actress Maria Félix, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1956

Marilyn Monroe, photo by Philippe Halsman, variant used for cover of LIFE, November 9, 1959

Marilyn Monroe, photo by Philippe Halsman, variant used for cover of LIFE, November 9, 1959

Capucine in Harold Lloyd’s garden, photo by Philippe Halsman, Hollywood, circa 1960

Actress Suzanne Pleshette, photo by Philippe Halsman, Hollywood, 1962

Princess Grace, photo by Philippe Halsman, Gstaad, Switzerland, 1962

Tippi Hedren during filming of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1962

Claudia Cardinale, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1963

Claudia Cardinale, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1963

Countess Consuelo Crespi wearing dress by Fabiani, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1963

Marella in gown by Balenciaga, photo by Philippe Halsman at La Leopolda, 1963

Portrait of Princess Grace in the Royal Palace, Monaco, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1963

Princess Grace of Monaco, photo by Philippe Halsman at the Royal Palace, 1963

Princess Grace of Monaco, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1963

Romy Schneider sunbathing, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1963

Mia Farrow with Salvador Dali, double exposure by Philippe Halsman, 1964

Barbra Streisand in her apartment in New York City, photo by Philippe Halsman for Cosmopolitan magazine, 1965

Barbra Streisand in her apartment in New York City, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1965

Barbra Streisand, photo by Philippe Halsman for Cosmopolitan magazine, 1965

Sharon Tate, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1966

Sharon Tate, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1966

Sharon Tate, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1966

Anjelica Huston, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1968

Loann Chan, photo by Philippe Halsman, 1967