Bill Cunningham (American photographer)

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Bill Cunningham
Cunningham at New York Fashion Week 2011
Born
William J. Cunningham Jr.

(1929-03-13)March 13, 1929
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJune 25, 2016(2016-06-25) (aged 87)
New York City, US
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHarvard University
(dropped out)
OccupationPhotographer
EmployerThe New York Times
Known forFashion photography
Street photography

William J. "Bill" Cunningham Jr. (March 13, 1929 – June 25, 2016) was an American fashion photographer for The New York Times, known for his candid and street photography.

Early life and education

Bill Cunningham

Cunningham was born and raised in Boston, where he had his first exposure to the fashion world as a stockboy in Bonwit Teller's Boston Store.[1] After attending Harvard University briefly, he dropped out in 1948 and moved to New York City at the age of 19, where he worked again at Bonwit Teller, this time in the advertising department.[1][2] Not long after, he quit his job and struck out on his own, making hats under the name "William J."[3] This business folded when he was drafted during the Korean war.[4] After serving a tour in the U.S. Army, he returned to New York in 1953 and started writing, first for Women's Wear Daily[2] and then for the Chicago Tribune.[3]

Career

During his years as a writer he contributed significantly to fashion journalism, introducing American audiences to Azzedine Alaïa and Jean-Paul Gaultier.[5] While working at at Women's Wear Daily and the Tribune, he began taking photographs of fashion on the streets of New York. After taking a chance photograph of Greta Garbo, he published a group of impromptu pictures in the Times in December 1978, which soon became a regular series.[3][6][7] His editor, Arthur Gelb, has called these photographs "a turning point for the Times, because it was the first time the paper had run pictures of well-known people without getting their permission."[8]

Cunningham photographed people and the passing scene in the streets of Manhattan every day, focusing on their genuine usage of clothing to express personal style. He was known not to overly photograph celebrities (like paparazzi would) or people that use fame to showcase clothing they did not originally pick themselves (sponsored, free clothing). Most of his pictures, he has said, are never published.[3] His personal independence philosophy was: "You see if you don't take money, they can't tell you what to do, kid."[9] Designer Oscar de la Renta has said, "More than anyone else in the city, he has the whole visual history of the last 40 or 50 years of New York. It's the total scope of fashion in the life of New York."[8] He made a career taking unexpected photographs of everyday people, socialites and fashion personalities, many of whom valued his company. According to David Rockefeller, Brooke Astor asked that Cunningham attend her 100th birthday party, the only member of the media invited.[8]

In 1978, he published Facades, a collection of 128 photographs of Editta Sherman in front of significant Manhattan buildings.[10][11]

In 2014, a collection of his photograph were exhibited as "Bill Cunningham: Facades" at the New-York Historical Society,[12]

Awards and honors

In 2008 he was awarded the Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.[5][13] In 2009, he was named a living landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.[14][15][16] In 2012 he received the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence.[17][18]

In media

In 2010, filmmaker Richard Press and Philip Gefter of The Times produced Bill Cunningham New York, a documentary about Cunningham.[5] The film was released on March 16, 2011. It shows Cunningham traveling through Manhattan by bicycle and living in a tiny apartment in the Carnegie Hall building. The apartment has no closet, kitchen, or private bathroom, and is filled with filing cabinets and boxes of his photographs. The documentary also details his philosophy on fashion, art, and photography, as well as observes his interactions with his subjects while taking photos.[19]

Cunningham was featured on BBC Two's The Culture Show in March 2012.[20]

Death

He died in New York on June 25, 2016, after being hospitalized for a stroke.[21][22][23][24]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Collins, Laura. "Man on the Street Bill Cunningham takes Manhattan". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Steigrad, Alexandra. "Bill Cunningham, New York Times Fashion Photographer, Dies at 87". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d Cunningham, Bill (October 27, 2002). "Bill on Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  4. ^ Park, Andrea. "Iconic New York Times Fashion Photographer Bill Cunningham Has Died at 87". People. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c "Luther and Cunningham Honored by France". Women's Wear Daily. October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  6. ^ "Fashion photographer Bill Cunningham dies". Sky News Australia. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  7. ^ McDonough, Megan. "Bill Cunningham, photographer of New York street fashion, dies at 87". Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Horyn, Cathy (October 27, 2002). "The Picture Subject Talks Back". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  9. ^ Dowd, Maureen (April 4, 2011). "Hunting Birds of Paradise". New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  10. ^ "Editta Sherman – Distinguished Photographers Award 2013", October 25, 2013
  11. ^ Cunningham, Bill (May 25, 1978). Facades. Penguin. ISBN 978-0140049480.
  12. ^ "Bill Cunningham: Facades". New-York Historical Society. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  13. ^ Peters, Maquita. "Bill Cunningham, Iconic 'New York Times' Photographer, Dies At 87". NPR. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  14. ^ "New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham dies at 87". Reuters. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  15. ^ "Living Landmarks Honoree List". New York Landmarks Conservancy. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  16. ^ Fisher, Lauren Alexis. "ill Cunningham Dies at 87 - New York Times Fashion Photographer Bill Cunningham Dies". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  17. ^ Marcus, Bennett (April 24, 2012). "Bill Cunningham at the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence Gala: A Reluctant, Adorable Star". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  18. ^ Emmrich, Stuart. "Scene City: Carnegie Hall Gala Honoring Bill Cunningham". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  19. ^ Dunlap, David W. (March 23, 2010). "Capturing the Elusive Bill Cunningham". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  20. ^ BBC Two: The Culture Show episode 25 2011/12
  21. ^ Bernstein, Jacob (June 25, 2016). "Bill Cunningham, Legendary Times Fashion Photographer, Dies at 87". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  22. ^ Décès du photographe Bill Cunningham (in French). Retrieved June 25, 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  23. ^ Tashjian, Rachel. Bill Cunningham, Pioneering Fashion Photographer of the Street, Dies at 87. Retrieved June 25, 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  24. ^ Michallon, Clemence. "Legendary New York fashion and street photographer Bill Cunningham dies aged 87". Daily Mail. Retrieved June 25, 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bill Cunningham.


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