Life's Little Adventures

Assistant Magazine

Assistant Magazine

 

 

The first issue of Assistant Magazine is out, and is it ever glorious!

This quarterly journal deals with the past, present, and especially with the future of the role of assistants in fashion, fashion photography, style, the visual arts and more as a stepping stone to their own careers.

Seven pages of the beautifully-produced magazine are devoted to me and my time assisting photographer Richard Avedon in the 1950s and early 1960s, his most creative period. In this I left as advice:

"Be invisible. Do your job, but don't be the center of attention.

You are there to work, not to distract."

Assistant is published in France for worldwide distribution, and is completely in English. The quality of reproduction, the paper stock, and of the layouts approaches art-book levels. 

I urge anyone interested in this field to give it a try. http://www.assistantmagazine.com/.

 

 

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I was an assistant to the world-famous photographer Richard Avedon during his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell!  Now is the time to reveal all, while I'm still alive and kicking. Tales of personalities, motivations, intrigues, and even the fine details of how it was all done.

What I need to make this project a reality is a co-conspirator to aid in getting the whole, true, uncensored story published -- either as a book, an e-book, or even a documentary for the record.

Anyone interested? Leave a message and I'll get back.

The Resurgence of Film Photography

The current (April 2013) issue of Shutterbug Magazine features a lengthy and quite thorough article subtitled "Silver Halide...Still Gleaming?" about discoveries at Photokina 2012 in Cologne, Germany, featuring a real resurgence of interest in "real" photography — the kind with film, darkrooms, and chemicals as opposed to digital. Not only are there new film cameras, there are also new B&W films to put in them! And enlargers for making the prints, as below:

Probably no 20th-century photographer was more renowned for his Black & White images than Richard Avedon (1923-2004), who I assisted from 1952-1956 and 1959-1965. Although he certainly did work in color for fashion and advertising jobs, it was his stunning Black & White photography that made him world famous. 

 

NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. Now, at the end of 2015, the time is ripe for me to reveal all that happened during Avedon's most creative period. Tales of personalities, motivations, intrigues, and even the fine details of how it was all done. 

What I need to realize this is a co-conspirator to aid in getting the whole, true, uncensored story published -- either as a book, an e-book, or even a documentary.

Anyone interested? Leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

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Avedon Exhibition

Yesterday, May 4, 2012, I attended the opening of a new exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery in New York. "Avedon Murals & Portraits" drew an enormous crowd, with a waiting line extending down West 21st St. Fortunately, I got there early and didn't have to wait. Since the gallery is located practically underneath New York's great High Line elevated park, I decided to arrive by strolling along it from 14th Street, and along the way I encountered this billboard announcing the event:

 

The show was a massive display of oversized murals in four galleries, depicting Andy Warhol and The Factory, the Chicago Seven, the Mission Council, and Allen Ginsberg's family, plus many related items of smaller size:

There's more on this blog about Avedon. CLICK HERE. 

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A Fond Farewell To Kodachrome

After a 74-year run, Kodak's classic color film is being retired. For good. And with honors. I will miss it.

This, even though I haven't used any in nearly three decades. 

 

Kodachrome images of my childhood from the late 1930s still survive with all their bright, saturated colors intact. I grew up with this stuff in the 1940s and 50s, and used vast quantities of it during my previous career as a professional photographer. Photos I took of Japan during my stint in the U.S. Army from 1957 through 59 are as good today as the day they were taken, long after slides on other color films have faded.

 

To fully appreciate Kodachrome's incredible quality and its impact on the world of images you must dig a little into the history of color photography. Although experiments in adding hues to photos began in the 1840s, the first commercially viable process was Autochrome, invented by the Lumìere brothers of France in 1903. This was soon followed by another French system, Dufaycolor, in 1908. Both were "additive" processes made up of microscopic bits of solid colors deposited on a glass plate. By 1932 these emulsions became available on a flexible film base, suitable for use in movies and regular amateur cameras. While the resultant photos could be quite lovely, they fell apart when substantially enlarged as the individual color dots became apparent. The glass plates also required a great deal of exposure and were difficult to view. 

 

In the mid-1920s two professional musicians who were long fascinated by the idea of color photography, violinist Leopold Godowsky Jr. and pianist Leopold Mannes, met an important scientist employed by Kodak. He arranged for them to be financed in their experiments, which by 1930 had led to a viable two-color movie film. They then became employees of Kodak and by 1935 had perfected Kodachrome, a three-color "subtractive" process that consisted of three Black & White emulsion layers, each representing a primary color. These were then dyed during development. This singular fact is what has for 74 years given Kodachrome such pure colors and such longevity. It also made Kodachrome incredibly complex to process, a service that for years could only be done by Kodak itself, and later by only a few laboratories.

 

The new Kodachrome was first marketed in 1935 in the 16mm home movie format, and in 1936 in 8mm as well as in 35mm and 828 roll-film sizes for amateur still photography (photo, left). Later it also became available as 120 roll film and 4x5 sheet film for professional use. Initially it had a "speed" equivalent of ISO 8 in today's terms, but later versions had "speeds" of 25, 40, 64, and 200.

 

One frame of 35mm Kodachrome, when digitally scanned, contains the equivalent of 20 megapixels of data, resulting in an exceptionally high-definition image suitable for considerable enlargement. This, and the purity of its colors, is why it became a favorite among professional photographers.

 

Over the years, however, other color films by Kodak, Agfa, Fuji and others had improved to the point of being almost (but not quite!) as good. These could be easily processed by the user or by small local labs. Consequently, Kodachrome sales declined — and then came the digital revolution. Yesterday, on June 22 2009, Kodak announced that no more will be made and that current stocks should last until about Fall of this year. Processing will be available until the end of 2010.

 

So, thank you, Kodachrome, for all the wonderful color you brought into our lives.

 

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The Avedon Years, Part XLIII

When Photography Became Art 

 

 Richard Avedon (1923-2004) was the first photographer to be widely recognized as a true artist in the sense that painters and sculptors are. Works by other photographers have of course been exhibited in major art museums for decades, but only as an adjunct to the museums' serious collections.

Oddly, back in the early 1960s I discussed this with him, and he opined that photographers were artisans and not really to be considered in the same league as, say, Picasso. This belief began to change in 1962 when he mounted his first museum exhibition, at the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building in Washington D.C. His second book, Nothing Personal, in 1964 was a turning point although it was savaged by critics who scoffed at the idea of fashion photographers having anything serious to say. 

Still, Avedon's reputation as a major creative force in American art rested almost solely on his portraiture. He himself believed that to be his legacy, and his fashion work as a diversion that earned him money. Which brings us to the current exhibition at the International Center of Photography in New York City, billed as Avedon Fashion 1944-2000. Running from May 15 through September 6, 2009, it removes any doubt that fashion pictures can be just as worthy of being called "art" as portraits, reportage, landscapes, or what have you. 

In my opinion, Avedon's fashion photography — especially the earlier work up until the mid-1960s — outshines even the best of his portraits and will be remembered long after the subjects of his politically-charged portraits have fallen into the dustbin of history.

 

Perhaps the most iconic of his fashion images are those of Dovima and the Elephants (above), a series with different gowns shot at the Cirque d'Hiver (Winter Circus) in Paris in August 1955 for the Harper's Bazaar Fall Collections issue. The fashions were by Dior. Although I was his second assistant at that time, I was unhappily not present on this job — only the number one guy (Frank Finocchio) got the coveted annual Paris assignment. It was shot using natural overhead skylight with an 8x10 Deardorff camera. Dovima was one of Avedon's favorite models and was great fun to be around. Her real name was Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, which she shortened to Dovima. Born in 1927 and raised in Queens, New York, she had an accent that many a comedian would have died for.

 

Another one of his favorite models was Susy Parker, whose face graced his photos for quite a few years. This shot was taken in the old Harper's Bazaar studio on Rue Jean-Goujon in Paris, which was replaced in 1965 with a new one that I helped design. In this, the old studio, the cramped darkroom of the world's master printer, André Gremola, was just behind the background wall. This shot was also done with an 8x10 Deardorff camera.

By the early 1960s Avedon was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the fashion world. Not fashion photography per se, but the people who inhabit the strange world of haute-couture. Along with his co-conspirator Marvin Israel (1924-1984), who at the time was the Art Director of Harper's Bazaar, he made his bold statement while photographing the 1962 Fall Collections in Paris. I was the prime assistant on all of these shoots and still have vivid memories of it — especially the celebratory late-night dinner after it was all over, with Dick and his wife Evie, Mike, Susy, Marvin, and myself. 

Instead of the usual romantic studio or location shots, the pair presented fashions in the context of a gossip column inspired by the steamy affairs between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during shooting of the movie Cleopatra. Here are some of the results: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He never got away with that again. And Marvin was replaced as Bazaar's Art Director soon afterwards. The memory of this just won't go away, in fact I was interviewed about it by the BBC in London in August 2008 — and again in February 2009 for a leading American arts magazine.

Most of the time, however, his fashion photography was just plain elegant, as in the image on the left of model Carmen skipping along the streets of Paris, obviously inspired by the work of the 1930's photographer Martin Munkácsi.

This is only a tiny hint at what visitors to the museum will find; after all, it covers some 56 years of fashion photography, with over 200 photographs on display. Check it out here.

 And while you're at it, find out about the many books and videos devoted to his art.

 

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Munich Nymphenburg, Germany

Visiting Munich? Want to see something special? Here's a complete chapter from the new Seventh Edition of my guidebook Daytrips Germany (2009) that describes just that. Enjoy!

 

Trip 2

Munich

(München, Muenchen)

 

Nymphenburg

Another fascinating excursion to make while in Munich is a delightful half-day stroll through the Nymphenburg Palace and its surrounding park. This summer home of the Wittelsbachs is one of the most splendid royal palaces of Europe, in many ways outshining their downtown Residenz itself.

Begun in 1664 as a simple Italianate villa, Nymphenburg gradually expanded over the next century and a half as succeeding generations added their own ideas of how royalty should live. In much the same way as Versailles, the main palace is only part of the attraction. Hidden among the trees is an absolute jewel of a hunting lodge and several intriguing pavilions. The formal gardens are dazzling, while the Carriage Museum, Botanical Gardens, Natural History Museum, and Royal Porcelain Factory all add their share of interest.

 

 

 

GETTING  THERE:

Take route U-1 or U-7 of the U-Bahn subway to Rotkreuzplatz. Here you change to streetcar #17 in the direction of Amalienburg Strasse, getting off at the Schloss Nymphenburg stop.

By Car, follow Arnulfstrasse from the main train station to Roman Platz, which is very close to the palace.

PRACTICALITIES:

Schloss Nymphenburg is open daily all year round, but note that the smaller pavilions are closed in winter. Fine weather will greatly enhance this trip. For more information contact the Munich tourist office listed in the previous chapter.

FOOD AND DRINK:

Acetaia (Nymphenburger Str. 215, about a mile southeast of the palace) A comfortably elegant restaurant with Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Reservations suggested. X: Sat. lunch. T: (089) 1392-9077. €€ and €€€

Schlosscafé im Palmenhaus (in the gardens of Schloss Nymphenburg) Light lunches, beverages, and dessert in a reconstructed 17th-century conservatory. X: Mon. in winter. T: (089) 175-309. € and €€

Königlicher Hirschgarten (Hirschgartenalle 1, a half-mile southeast of the palace) Munich's largest outdoor beer garden, noted for its food. T: (089) 172-591. €

 

 SUGGESTED  TOUR:

Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.

You will get a good view of the palace complex from the streetcar stop (1) on Notburgastrasse. Walk along the ornamental canal to the central building and purchase a combined ticket for the Schloss, Carriage Museum, and the park pavilions.

 

 

SCHLOSS NYMPHENBURG (2-9), T: (089) 179-080. Palace open mid-April to mid-Oct., daily 9-6; rest of year daily 10-4. All-inclusive ticket €€. Restaurant. Café. Shop.

Enter the Palace (2) and step into the Great Hall (Steinerner Saal), a vast room of rococo splendor. The ceiling frescoes, full of allegorical references, are well worth a detailed examination. Stroll through the gorgeously decorated north wing, noting the gallery with the paintings of Nymphenburg as it appeared in the 1720s.

For most visitors, however, the south wing is more interesting. Here you will find King Ludwig I's famous Gallery of Beauties — 36 paintings commissioned by the king of the most beautiful women of his time. Included in the group is the notorious Lola Montez, an Irish-born "Spanish" dancer who ultimately became his undoing. At the ripe old age of 60 the king took her as his latest mistress, an act that did not sit well with the conservative Bavarians, and which was partly responsible for his forced abdication in 1848. Poor Lola was sent into deepest exile — the far-off United States, where she entertained folks from New York to California. Today she lies buried in Brooklyn.

Close to this is the bedroom in which Ludwig II, the "mad" king, was born on August 25th, 1845. You will probably be meeting up with him, or at least his creations, several times during your Bavarian adventures.

Other particularly interesting rooms nearby include the South Gallery, with its paintings of various Wittelsbach properties, and the Chinese Lacquer Room.

Leave the palace and walk out into the gardens. The part facing you, laid out in a formal manner, is called the Large Parterre (3). Statues of mythological gods adorn the paths leading to the fountain.

  Follow the trail on the left to *Amalienburg (4), an exquisite hunting lodge in the rococo style by Cuvilliés. Its exterior is rather restrained, but once inside you will be treated to a visual feast. The most sumptuously decorated room here is the circular Hall of Mirrors. The Pheasant Room, kitchen, and bedrooms are also outstanding.

A path leads through the trees to the Dörfchen, a tiny group of cottages reminiscent of the hameau at Versailles. The nearby 18th-century pump house still works the big fountains in the parterre. Continue on to the Badenburg (5), an elegant bath house complete with a banquet hall and a luxurious indoor swimming pool. The trail now follows along the side of a lake to the Monopteros, a little love temple on the water's edge.

The elaborate Cascade (6) marks the beginning of the main canal. Stroll through the woods beyond to the Pagodenburg (7), an octagonal tea pavilion whose upper floor is decorated in Chinese motifs.

Returning in the direction of the palace brings you to the Magdalenenklause (8), also called the Hermitage. A refreshing change after all the splendor, this at first seems to be in a state of ruin. Don't be deceived — it was built that way in 1725 for the private meditations of the ruler; the appearance of poverty then being very fashionable. The interior contains a strange chapel in the form of a grotto, and unadorned rooms where the ceremonies of court life could be avoided.

Continue through the ornamental gardens and exit the grounds via a passageway under the palace. To the right, in the south wing, is the Carriage Museum (Marstallmuseum) (9). Here the state coaches and sleighs of the Wittelsbachs are on display, including the utterly fantastic ones used to transport Ludwig II on his nocturnal escapades. On the floor above this is Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelains.

The north wing of the palace is now occupied by the Museum Mensch und Natur (Museum of Man and Nature) (10), which concerns itself with the history of mankind’s role on Earth and its impact on the environment. Admission to this is separate from the palace. T: (089) 179-080. Open Tues.-Sun. 9-5. €.

The New Botanical Gardens(Botanischer Garten) (11), slightly to the north of Nymphenburg on Menzinger Strasse, provide a delightful end to this trip. Various climates of the world are skillfully re-created and planted with appropriate flora in this wonderful landscape of natural beauty. T: (089) 1786-1310, W: botmuc.de. Open daily 9-5, 6, or 7, closing earlier in winter. The hothouses close between noon and 1 p.m. €.

On the way back to the streetcar stop (1) you may want to pause at the Royal State Porcelain Factory (12), where Nymphenburg porcelain is still made to traditional rococo designs and may be purchased from the factory.

P.S.

You might possibly have a déjà-vu experience here, if back in the 1960s you thrilled to that enigmatic 1961 film Last Year at Marienbad (L'année Dernière á Marienbad) by French director Alain Resnais. Especially the garden scene where the leading characters cast long shadows while the trees and bushes cast none. Were they really there? Did this place actually exist? It was filmed here, and the outdoor scenes done at high noon when there were no shadows; the shadows of the people were painted on the ground.

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The Avedon Years, Part XLI

There has never been another photographer like Richard Avedon (1923-2004), who revolutionized fashion imagery, elevated portraiture to the level of high art, and was perhaps the most successful advertising photographer of all time. To be near him was to experience sheer genius. 

Back in 1995 the Public Broadcasting System presented a 90-minute documentary on his life as part of their "American Masters" series. Although I had seen it at the time — and was impressed — it somehow got forgotten as I busied myself on a travel writing career. Then in February of this year I was interviewed for Vanity Fair Magazine about my former connections with Avedon, and the desire to once again view this marvelous show became overwhelming. Netflix didn't have it, so I ordered the DVD from Amazon.

Now, this disc has been out of print for a while, so you must really want it and be willing to pay a rather hefty price, or buy it used. It is, after all, a collector's item, but for anyone serious about photography it's worth every penny.

The show opens with scenes of his hanging an exhibition in a major art museum, during which he explains his motivations along with his demons. Avedon (photo, left) always strove to be a creator, not an observer, always completely in control of each session. In this way he differs from other famous photographers who report life or capture images. Avedon created images from his fertile imagination, then set about getting them on film much as a movie director creates a motion picture.

The video then jumps to his early work in fashion, focusing on his first Paris couture collection in 1946. World War II was over, and Paris was alive once again with its reinvigorated fashion industry. Dick and his first wife, Doe, rode in from the airport in an open-top taxi, standing up and drinking champagne along the way. And what photos he produced for Harper's Bazaar magazine! No one had ever put this much life — this much joie de vivre — into fashion before. Distinguishing his images are the stories they tell, like scenes from a novel or gossip column.

Avedon's work was influenced, first of all, by the Hungarian-born photographer Martin Munkácsi, who had also worked for the magazine in the 1930s. He regarded three people at the magazine as his true mentors: Carmel Snow, the editor; Alexey Brodovitch, the innovative art director; and Diana Vreeland (photo, left), the fashion editor who Dick thought of as his crazy aunt.

In another chapter the video explains his use of motion and storyline to present fashions. In doing this, however, he never forgot the dress. It always looked great. To inspire his models he would sometimes dance along with them (photo, right), using them more as actresses than as clotheshorses. 

By the early 1960s he had gone about as far as he could go without endlessly repeating himself. So it is not surprising that his passions then shifted to portraits and reportage. The mid-decade switch to Vogue magazine was really commercial in nature — for them he produced beautifully constructed and sophisticated fashion photos that in turn attracted the most lucrative advertising assignments.

One important aspect of the video is that it does not just focus on his fashion and portrait photography, but explores some of his advertising work as well. Particularly striking is the TV commercial he did for Coco Perfume. In this, as in his other commercial work, it's never about the product, but totally about having the product — what is being sold is a feeling, not an item. Avedon was no purist in any sense of the word. He explains why he put so much effort into his advertising work by stating that "it's fun, and the food is good," and that it supported his other, more serious, work. He also made no apologies for making money and living very, very well, as his Manhattan town house and Montauk country home suggest. 

In doing his portraiture, Avedon cast himself as a hunter who could see right through people, latching on to their hidden essence through careful observation of their faces. He would then guide (or manipulate, or trick) them into revealing their true selves. Had he not taken up photography, he might have become a great fortune teller.

In photographing other people he, in a sense, was really looking at himself, trying to find the darkness and light of his own existence. Yet he always remains the one in control — they are his pictures, not the subjects'. This becomes most clear in what he considered to be his best body of work, the long series of portraits of drifters, loners, laborers and losers taken between 1979 and 1983 and presented in museums and as a book under the title "In The American West." 

Avedon was surely the first fashion photographer to declare himself to be a serious artist, at the same level as painters and sculptors. And he did it loudly and very publicly. That this was not always well received is an understatement, but it was his self-promotion that got his work into world-class museums, created his fame, and — most important — opened the way for other photographers to also be recognized as true artists.

In the end we visit his country home near Montauk, at the eastern end of New York's Long Island. Here he grew apples and raised chickens when not busy with more photographic projects.

All in all, the video tells us a lot about Richard Avedon, and about photography as an art. For those who didn't know him it is a revelation; for those who did a marvelous remembrance of a true master. 

 

 

P.S.

Although the flick covers his entire career as a photographer from 1947 until the time of production in 1995, he continued working right up until the day of his death in 2004. I worked for him from 1952 through 1956, and again from 1959 through 1965, the last 3½ years as studio manager. Some of the highlights of those ten years that involved me and that are featured on the video are:

(click on underlined words for the full story)

• Marilyn Monroe, 1954. This was the first time he photographed her, although the more famous photos were done a few years later. What made it memorable for me, a drooling teenager at the time, was being right there next to her, having her ask me if I wanted her autograph and a message to me on the photo mount, and having a news picture of her with me appear in a cheap fan magazine soon afterwards! 
• The Astronauts, 1961. Only the photo of Alan Shepard appears in the video, but we did all three original astronauts that day at NASA Headquarters, Langley Field, Virginia. Just about everything that could go wrong did, including a power failure and having to drive back to New York through a terrible storm that night. But the pictures were great.
• The Paris Collections, 1962. This gets prominent coverage on the video because it was so shocking. Inspired by incessant press coverage of a romance between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor while making the film Cleopatra, and by the depiction of paparazzi in the film La Dolce Vita, Avedon combined the talents of Mike Nichols and Suzy Parker to treat coverage of the 1962 Fall Collections in Paris as a gag. 
• The D.A.R., 1964. One of Avedon's iconic photographs, featured in several of his books, museum exhibitions, and on the video, is this hilarious treatment of the Generals of the Daughters of the American Revolution, taken in the ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel, Washington D.C. He had no love for these ladies, and we had just come from photographing the stormtroopers of the American Nazi Party in Virginia. I actually operated the camera, which was mounted on a tripod, on this frame — on his whispered instructions as he busied himself arranging the ladies in postion for a formal group portrait. Dick then took the serious pictures, but this was the one that was used.
• Former President Eisenhower, 1964. Dick and I flew out to Palm Springs, California in early 1964, staying at the Racquet Club for a few days while arrangements were made to photograph the former President at his home on a golf course. He was a very genial host, and could not have been more cooperative. In most of the frames he appears as his friendly self; in the choosen one a bit pensive.
• Santa Monica Beach, 1964. Avedon wandered around the beach alone at dusk with a 35mm Pentax SLR camera, shooting candids of touching scenes. He also grossly underexposed the film in the fading last light. When the films were developed, there were no visible images of the final frames on them, but he insisted that I try to make prints. Using every darkroom trick I knew, I eventually pulled these ghostly images, which actually are more effective than they would have been if properly exposed. I emphasized the grain by using a pin-point lamp head on the enlarger. Opposite the photo in the book Nothing Personal were these words by author James Baldwin: "The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out."

Some other famous sessions on the video that were from my time with Avedon but on which I was not present are: 

• Charlie Chaplin, 1952. Saturday, September 13. Avedon received a call at home from Chaplin, who asked if he could have his picture taken right away. Naturally, Dick was thrilled and hurried off to the Madison Avenue studio for a private sitting with no assistants. The result was a stunning photo of Chaplin giving his farewell gesture to America — hours later he was safely onboard a ship bound for Britain, having escaped the clutches of the Immigration Service after being denounced by the F.B.I. as a communist sympathizer. 
• The Windsors, 1957. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of England and Wally Simpson of Baltimore, always put on a happy face for the press, and tried to do that again. But Avedon outsmarted them by inventing a story about how on the way to the studio his taxi had just run over a dog and killed it. They reacted with a look of pain and sorrow, captured for all time by Dick's quick thinking.  

 

 t's a shame that this fine video has been discontinued by the manufacturer due to limited demand. In the past this was understandable as a fairly large number of copies had to be made and kept in inventory, but this is no longer true. Amazon now has a program through their CreateSpace subsidiary of producing DVDs on demand, one at a time as they are ordered. This is similar to the way my books have been printed for the last few years, as I described in this 2006 posting.  

 

 NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I assisted Avedon through his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell! Now, at the end of 2015, is the time to reveal all while I'm still alive and kicking. Tales of personalities, motivations, intrigues, and even the fine details of how it was all done.

What I need to make this project a reality is a co-conspirator to aid in getting the whole, true, uncensored story published -- either as a book, an e-book, or a documentary.

Anyone interested? Leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

 

RETURN to The Avedon Years.

RETURN to Photography Index.

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CLICK HERE for all of Avedon's books and videos.

 

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

While doing research for a new edition of my guidebook Daytrips Pennsylvania Dutch Country and Philadelphia I revisited Doylestown, a prime choice for an easy and thoroughly engrossing one-day trip from Philadelphia. And a pretty simple one from New York City, as well. Here is my recently revised chapter on it:

 

Trip 18

Doylestown

 

Easily one of the most attractive towns in the Philadelphia area, Doylestown offers more than its share of memorable attractions. The best of these are within walking distance of one another, and of the local commuter train station, so you don't even need a car to enjoy this trip. 

A family named Doyle took up residence here in the 1730s, opening a tavern around 1745 at the strategic intersection of two rutted Colonial roads, one (now US-202) linking New Hope with Norristown, and the other (now PA-611) running from Philadelphia to Easton. Both tavern and town prospered, and in 1813 Doylestown became the county seat of Bucks County. Today it is a picturesque country town of beautifully-preserved Colonial, Federal, and Victorian houses.

A regional cultural center as well, Doylestown is best known for the works of its resident eccentric, Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930), a noted archaeologist, antiquarian, and leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement. You will encounter several of his strange creations and obsessions as you explore the neighborhood. Other noted locals, either by birth or residence, included the authors James A. Michener and Pearl S. Buck.

GETTING THERE:

By Car, Doylestown is about 25 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. Take PA-611 (Broad St.) all the way and get off at the Main Street exit just south of Doylestown.

By Commuter Train, take the SEPTA Route R-5 from Philadelphia's 30th Street, Suburban, or Market East stations. Service operates hourly on weekdays, less frequently on weekends. Make sure the train is going all the way to Doylestown; some terminate at Lansdale. The ride takes about 75 minutes and leaves you near the main attractions.

PRACTICALITIES:

Most of the sites are open daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's), but art lovers should note that the outstanding Michener Museum is closed on Mondays and holidays. The Pearl S. Buck House is open from March through December, on Tuesdays through Sundays, but not on major holidays. Advance reservations should be made for the Fonthill Museum as capacity is limited.

For further information contact the Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau, 3207 Street Road, Bensalem PA 19020, T: 215-639-0300 or 800-836-BUCKS, W: visitbuckscounty.com.

FOOD AND DRINK:

(being revised at the moment)

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS:

 

Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map. Click on map to enlarge.

*MERCER MUSEUM AND SPRUANCE LIBRARY (1), Pine and Ashland streets, T: 215-345-0210, W: mercermuseum.org. Museum open Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. noon-5, closing at 9 on Tues. Library open Tues. 1-9, Wed.-Fri. 1-5, Sat. 10-5. Both closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. Adults $9, seniors $8, children 5-17 $4, under 5 free. Combination ticket with Fonthill $14. $1 Discount for military and AAA members. Gift shop. Partially accessible. 

 

A stunning concrete structure of 1916 (photo, above) and National Historic Landmark, the Mercer Museum houses the tools and products of more than 60 trades and crafts. It was established by Henry Mercer to display his collection of over 40,000 examples of Early American furnishings, folk art, and implements. Fortunately for succeeding generations, Dr. Mercer saw these artifacts as the stuff of history rather than yard sales. Henry Ford, a man of strong opinions, called this six-story treasure trove the only museum in the country worth visiting. Don't miss the fire engine suspended from a balcony, or the prisoner's dock, gallows, and coffin on the top floor. The audio devices explain everything as you wander around freely in whatever directions your interests take you. For children, there are hands-on stations to try out life in the past. Every year on the second full weekend in May the museum hosts a Folk Fest featuring Early American craft demonstrations, picnics, music, dancing, sheep shearing, quilting, and the like.

The Spruance Libary is a gold mine of information on the nation's past. It contains special collections on Bucks County history and genealogy, and on early American technology, culture, and folk art.

 

*JAMES A. MICHENER ART MUSEUM (2) (photo, above), 138 South Pine St., T: 215-340-9800, W: michenermuseum.org. Open Tues.-Fri. 10-4:30, Sat. 10-5, Sun. noon-5, closed holidays. Adults $6.50, seniors $6, children 6-18 $4, under 6 free. Museum shop. Café. Completely accessible.

Just across the street from the Mercer Museum stands the old county jail, a handsome structure of 1884. Parts of this were placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings and Sites in 1985, the year the facility closed. In 1988 its preserved sections were converted into an art museum honoring and partly endowed by the late author, James A. Michener, who grew up in Doylestown and later became a noted art collector. Since then, other modern additions have been made, greatly expanding the available gallery space. Permanent collections include a Visual Heritage of Bucks County with regional works of art from Colonial times to the present, the Creative Bucks County multimedia exhibition celebrating the county's rich artistic tradition, and Abstract Expressionist paintings from the collection of Mari S. and James A. Michener. Michener's Bucks County Office, where he wrote "Tales of the South Pacific," has been re-created, and you can visit the Nakashima Reading Room, filled with classic furniture from the studio of the renowned woodworker George Nakashima. Repeat visitors will appreciate the many changing exhibitions, some of which are created by the museum itself.

Follow the map, by car or on foot, to the:

FONTHILL MUSEUM (3), East Court St., T: 215-348-9461, W: fonthillmuseum.org. Open Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. noon-5. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. Tours only, last one at 4. Reservations are strongly urged as space is limited and tour groups small. Adults $9.50, seniors $8.50, Youth (5-17) $4, under 5 free. Combination ticket with Mercer Museum $14. $1 discount for military and AAA members. Very limited accessibility, arrange in advance.

 

Henry Chapman Mercer designed Fonthill (photo, above), today a National Historic Landmark, as a home and showcase for his collection of tiles and prints from all over the world. The castle-like structure, begun in 1908, consists almost entirely of poured concrete and was conceived of as a "Castle for the New World." Each of the 40-odd rooms has a highly individual personality, with tiles sometimes depicting stories of historic events; and there are warrens, alcoves, and cubicles everywhere you turn on your fascinating tour of Fonthill.

Stroll over to the:

MORAVIAN POTTERY AND TILE WORKS (4), Swamp Rd. (PA-313), T: 215-345-6722, W: buckscounty.org/government/departments/tileworks. Open daily except some holidays, 10-4:45. Last tour at 4. Adults $4.50, seniors $3.50, youths 7-17 $2.50. 25% discount for AAA members. Tile shop. Partially accessible. 

A National Historic Landmark adjacent to the Fonthill Museum, this concrete, Spaniah-Mission-style tile works was built by Henry Mercer to revive the dying Pennsylvania-German art of tile making. Today it operates much as it did in Mercer's time, using the original formulas and methods. Over the years the tile works has furnished decorations for such notable installations as the Pennsylvania State Capitol (see page 260), the Gardner Museum in Boston, and the John D. Rockefeller Estate in New York.

If you've come by car, you might want to take a short drive to the:

NATIONAL SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA (5), Ferry Rd., Beacon Hill, T: 215-345-0600, W: czestochowa.us. Take Swamp Rd. north a mile or so, then Ferry Rd. west about 2 miles. Shrine and grounds open daily all year. Free. Largely accessible.

A Polish spiritual and pilgrimage center, established in 1955 by the Pauline Fathers and dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa (pronounced "Chen-sto-ho-va") in America. The present structure was completed in 1966 to commemorate the Millennium of Poland's baptism as a Christian nation. It houses a faithful reproduction of the Miraculous Painting of the Holy Mother, which is traditionally attributed to St. Luke and hangs in the Shrine of Czestochowa in Poland. The copy was blessed by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

A 6½-mile side trip northwest of Doylestown on Route PA-113 (Swamp Rd.) takes you to the village of Dublin, where you can turn left on Maple Avenue to Green Hill Farms and the Pearl S. Buck House (6). This 1835 farmhouse, now a National Historic Landmark, was the home of the renowned author from 1935 until her death in 1973. Until 1993 the only woman to have won both the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, Pearl S. Buck was raised in China and became famous for her classic novel The Good Earth in 1934. In 1964 she started a foundation to care for displaced children, which today operates the house and maintains its delightful blend of Asian and Western cultures. 520 Dublin Rd., Perkasie, PA 18944, T: 215-249-0100, W: psbi.org. Tours Tues.-Sat. at 11, 1, and 2; Sun. at 1 and 2. Closed Jan.-Feb., Mondays, most major holidays. Adults $7, seniors $6.

Another nearby attraction on the way back to Doylestown is the Peace Valley Winery (7), where you can taste country wines made from premium grapes grown on the 36-acre yineyard. 300 Old Limekiln Rd., 2 miles west of PA-313 on Stump Rd., then a bit south. T: 215-249-9058, W: peacevalleywinery.com. Open Wed.-Sun., noon-6, opening at 10 on Sat.Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Easter. Free tastings.

Time permitting, you might also consider taking the:

BUCKS COUNTY COVERED BRIDGES TOUR, Bucks County Conference & Visitors Bureau, 3207 Street Rd., Bensalem PA 19020, T: 215-634-0300, W: visitbuckscounty.com.

Covered bridges are a nostalgic part of America's heritage, evoking images of old-fashioned rural tranquility. Several of these romantic old spans still survive along the back roads of Bucks County and can be examined at leisure by following the directions on the Visitors Bureau website. Seeing all 11 would take at least an entire day; fortunately the most picturesque have been grouped together into two self-guided tours.

Don't just drive over the bridges — be sure to stop and walk across them, examining their clever "lattice truss" construction of timbers organized in a series of triangles that distribute stress to achieve great strength from simple materials. Although often called "kissing bridges," the spans were actually roofed for the practical purpose of protecting the supporting beams from the ravages of weather, thus insuring a long life.

The bridge closest to Doylestown is the Pine Valley Bridge (9) of 1842, located on Old Iron Hill Road, just over a mile southwest of the Czestochowa Shrine.

In the mood for some unusual shopping? It's only a few miles west on US-202 to Byers' Choice (8), where it's Christmas all year round. Famous for their delightful figurines of carolers, Byers' is one of the largest producers of Christmas decorations in the United States. You can tour the factory and visit the elaborate gallery where over 400 figurines are displayed in winter settings. 4355 County Line Rd., Chalfont, PA, T: 215-822-6700. Take US-202 west beyond Chalfont and turn right on County Line Rd. for a half-mile. Open Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. noon-5. Free.

Copyright © 2000 by Earl Steinbicker, updated to 2009

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The Avedon Years, Part XL

AVEDON'S BOOKS

During his lifetime and beyond, Richard Avedon has authored or otherwise been responsible for some twenty large books full of great photographs. The first two, Observations (1959) and Nothing Personal (1964) were done during the time that I was associated with him and in which I had a hand in producing; the others came later and are still coming. Most of these are of exceptional quality, beautifully designed in large format and printed on heavy paper by skilled craftsmen. These are truly coffee table books worth buying a coffee table for. Here's a slightly incomplete list in chronological order:

Observations (1959)

Nothing Personal (1964)

Alice in Wonderland(1973)

Portraits (1976)

Richard Avedon Photographs 1947-1977 (1978)

In the American West (1985)

An Autobiography (1993)

Evidence (1994)

Versace (1998)

Avedon The Sixties (1999)

Richard Avedon Made in France (2001)

Richard Avedon Portraits (2002)

Posthumous list:

Woman in the Mirror (2005)

Richard Avedon Photographs 1946-2004 (2007)

The Kennedys (2007)

Performance (2008)

Richard Avedon Portraits of Power (2008)

Avedon Fashion 1944-2000 (2009) 

About Avedon:

Avedon at Work, by Laura Wilson (2003)

Darkness and Light, PBS American Masters DVD video (2002)

Funny Face, musical comedy movie (1957) DVD 

 

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Bayreuth, Germany

Music lovers — especially those with a passion for Wagnerian opera — will revel in this daytrip from Munich (or Nürnberg) to Bayreuth. Taken directly from the pages of my recent guidebook Daytrips Bavaria, it tells you exactly how to get there and how to get the most out of this popular festival town hidden away in the wilds of Franconia. Enjoy!

Trip 17

Bayreuth

For admirers of Wagnerian opera, a daytrip to Bayreuth is a delightful pilgrimage — perhaps the highlight of their entire visit to Germany. Others may find this to be a day largely wasted in the boondocks of Franconia. How much joy you get out of this trip is determined by your musical tastes, and only you can know the answer to that.

There was a town here long before Wagner was ever born, of course. During the 18th century this was a minor cultural oasis under the influence of Princess Wilhelmina, the very talented sister of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. An ineptitude for diplomacy led to her being married to the exceedingly dull Margrave of Bayreuth, a fate made bearable by creating what few treasures the town has to offer aside from those associated with the composer.

The annual Bayreuth Festival, which had its premier on August 13th, 1876, has since turned this provincial Bavarian town into a world-class mecca for music lovers. Organized by Richard Wagner (that's him on the left) for the express purpose of performing his own operas in his very own theater, it helped revolutionize the status of composers from glorified servants of the nobility to entrepreneurs. More than that, it began the entire concept of annual music festivals, now held all over the world.

Although it's a bit lengthy for a daytrip, dedicated fans will find this excursion well worth the effort. Bayreuth may also be visited from other Franconian bases, such as Nürnberg.

GETTING THERE:

Trains leave Munich's main station between roughly 6 and 7:30 a.m. for Nürnberg, where you connect to an hourly train to Bayreuth, or the faster. more luxurious ICE train bound for Dresden. The entire journey takes about 2½ or 3 hours. Return ttrains operate until mid-evening, again changing at Nürnberg. Get schedules at W: bahn.de.

By Car, Bayreuth is 231 km (144 miles) north of Munich on the A-9 Autobahn.

PRACTICALITIES:

Unless you really love crowds, you should avoid coming during festival time, which lasts from late July until late August. The local Tourist Information Office(Kongress-und-Tourismuszentral), T: (0921) 885-88, W: bayreuth-tourismus.de, is at Luitpoldplatz 9, a few blocks south of the train station. Bayreuth has a population of about 75,000.

FOOD AND DRINK:

Some good places for lunch are:

Da Corrado (Sophienstr. 22, near the Kunstmuseum) A modern Mediterranean restaurant in the oldest part of town, with a terrace by the ancient walls. T: (0921) 515-900. €€€

Oskar (Maximilianstr. 33, west of the Altes Schloss) Both traditional and New Franconian cuisine. T: (0921) 516-0553. € and €€

Gastätte Porsch (Maximilianstr. 63, 2 blocks west of the Altes Schloss) Inexpensive dining on Franconian fare. T: (0921) 646-49. €

SUGGESTED TOUR:

Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.

Leave the Train Station (1) and walk down Bahnhofstrasse to the tourist office on Luitpoldplatz. Across the square is the 17th-century Altes Schloss (Old Palace) (2), home of the ruling margraves until 1754. Destroyed in 1945, it was later rebuilt and now houses government offices. Amble through its courtyard and visit the Schlosskirche (Palace Church), which contains the tombs of Margrave Friedrich and his wife Wilhelmina. From here you can take an interesting stroll through the oldest part of town, now home to the new Kunstmuseum (Museum of Art) (3) with its rich collection of German 20th-century art from such masters as Otto Dix, Schmitt-Rottluff, Max Beckmann and others. T: (0921) 764-5310, W: kunstmuseum-bayreuth.de. Open Tues.-Sun. 10-5, also on Mon. in July-Aug. €. You might also stop at the 15th-century Stadtkirche (Town Church) on Kirchplatz before continuing on to the first major attraction:

HAUS WAHNFRIED — RICHARD WAGNER MUSEUM (4), T: (0921) 757-2816, W: wagnermuseum.de. Open April-Oct., daily 9-5, remaining open until 8 on Tues. and Thurs.; Nov.-March, daily 10-5, remaining open until 8 on Thurs. Closed certain holidays. €.

Richard Wagner built Haus Wahnfried (photo, above) in 1873 as his first, and last, permanent home. Born in Leipzig in 1813, he had always been a wanderer, fleeing both creditors and the police until his strange relationship with the mentally unbalanced King Ludwig II began in 1864. This solved his persistent money problems — he had always lived lavishly on a precarious income — but the composer's political manipulations and loose morals quickly gained him enemies, and he was forced into exile. Eventually, Wagner's ego required that he have his very own opera house, where his works would not be contaminated by those of other composers. Thus the move to Bayreuth, a place so remote and yet within the confines of Ludwig's Bavaria that his adoring public would have to come to him.

Haus Wahnfried remained in the possession of Wagner's descendants until 1973, when it was deeded to the town. It has since been restored and is now open as a fascinating museum of the composer's life; one that explores his creative genius without overlooking the blemishes. Visitors may relax in the drawing room and listen to recorded concerts of his operas. Allow plenty of time for this small but intriguing museum.

Wagner, who died in 1883, lies buried along with his wife Cosima in a simple grave at the rear of the house. Continue past this and wander around the lovely Hofgarten to the:

NEUES SCHLOSS (New Palace) (5), T: (0921) 759-69-21. Open April-Sept., daily 9-6; Oct.-March, daily 10-4. €.

Begun in 1753, this late rococo structure reflects the refined tastes of Princess Wilhelmina, who lived here until her death in 1758. Its many charming rooms, filled with period furniture, may be seen on guided tours given frequently.

Now follow Ludwigstrasse to Wilhelmina's great masterpiece, the:

*MARKGRÄFLICHES OPERNHAUS (Margrave's Opera House) (6), T: (0921) 759-69-22. Open April-Sept., daily 9-6; Oct.-March, daily 10-4. €.

Otherwise known as the Old Opera and first opened in 1748, this is an absolutely delightful jewel, right up there in the same class with Munich's Cuvilliés Theater. Every 45 minutes, visitors are treated to a delightful sound-and-light show (in German) with Baroque music and fantastic illuminations. Richard Wagner was originally attracted to Bayreuth by the thought of using this elegant theater for his festival. Alas, its stage proved much too small for both Siegfried and the dragon, let alone all those Valkyries. In the end, of course, he built his own opera house, which you should visit next.

Return to the train station and take the route on the map to Wagner's Festspielhaus (Festival Theater) (7), the most famous sight in Bayreuth. Set atop a small hill overlooking the town, this curiously nondescript structure was begun in 1872. Wagner was hardly able to raise the money for a cornerstone, to say nothing of an entire opera house, so in the end he had to appeal once again to Ludwig. The king, somewhat peeved at the choice of Bayreuth and by now short of cash as a result of his lavish castles, came up with just enough for this unadorned building. Plans to add an elaborate façade at a later date never materialized.

Inside, however, it is a marvel of technical ingenuity. The acoustics, achieved at the expense of audience comfort, are world-renowned. Singers can be heard above the roar of the orchestra, which is buried in a deep pit. The huge and highly mechanized stage was decades ahead of its time, as was the lighting. T: (0921) 787-80. Guided tours are held in Dec.-April on Tues.-Sun. at 10 and 2; in Sept.-Oct. on Tues. through Sun. at 10, 10:45, 2:15, and 3. There are no tours when the theater is in use from late May through July, or in Nov. €. Tickets for performances are invariably sold out long in advance.

From here it is an easy downhill walk back to the train station.

Copyright © 2007 and 2009 Earl Steinbicker.

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