Born 1883 in Alfred, Maine, American photographer James Abbe became known for taking many photographs of theater and movie performers starting in 1917. In the late 1920s, he gained a reputation in news photography, and known for his fashion photography, including celebrated work for American Vogue.
Abbe’s most celebrated portraits include his rare double portraits of silent film stars Rudolph Valentino and his wife Natasha Rambova, Lillian and Dorothy Gish, as well as dancers including the Dolly Sisters and Anna Pavlova, all taken in the 1920s.
Reflecting the changing fashions in magazines content, Abbe became one of the first photojournalist to submit his work in photo-essays to major publications, including The London Magazine, Vu and the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung. He also took photographs during the Spanish Civil War and the Nazis’ rise in Germany.
These stunning photographs James Abbe shot classic beauties that defined the Jazz Age fashion.
(Photos © James Abbe)
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