Gordon Parks: The Man of Many Hats (Dressed Classic)

Summary

Episode Summary: Gordon Parks: The Man of Many Hats (Dressed Classic)

Podcast: Dressed: The History of Fashion
Hosts: April Callahan & Cassidy Zachary
Release Date: January 15, 2025

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Introduction

In this enlightening episode of Dressed: The History of Fashion, hosts April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary delve into the multifaceted life of Gordon Parks, a luminary whose contributions spanned photojournalism, fashion photography, literature, and film. Titled "Gordon Parks: The Man of Many Hats," the episode celebrates Parks' remarkable ability to intertwine his passion for social justice with his artistic endeavors in fashion.

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Early Life and Overcoming Adversity

Gordon Parks was born on November 30, 1912, in Fort Scott, Kansas, the youngest of 15 children to parents Sarah and Jackson Parks. His early life was marked by both love and hardship. In his memoir, Parks reflects on his precarious beginnings, stating, "I was born dead. Indeed, the world might never have met Gordon Parks, had a young, quick-thinking doctor not plunged his lifeless body into a tub of icy water" (05:13). This determination to survive set the tone for his resilience in the face of adversity.

Raised in a town entrenched in segregation and bigotry, Parks experienced firsthand the harsh realities of racism. He poignantly wrote, "The mecca of bigotry, where discrimination was solidly built on the stones of segregation. During those days, I ate hatred a lot" (05:57). Despite these challenges, Parks found solace and expression through music, becoming a skilled pianist taught by his mother.

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Discovery of Photography

Parks' introduction to photography was serendipitous. While working as a waiter on a train in the late 1930s, he encountered discarded magazines, including Vogue, which captivated him with their fashion imagery. Inspired by photojournalists like Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, Parks purchased his first camera in 1938, declaring, "Still suffering the cruelties of my past, I wanted a voice to help me escape it. In 1938, I bought a camera for $7.50, and that would become my voice" (09:34).

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Career in Photojournalism

Parks' entry into photojournalism was marked by his work with the Farm Security Administration (FSA), where he produced compelling images that highlighted the struggles of impoverished Americans. His poignant photograph, "American Gothic," featuring Ella Watson, a black cleaning woman, exemplifies his ability to convey profound narratives through visual storytelling (20:28).

In 1948, Parks broke barriers by becoming the first African American staff photographer for Life magazine. His impactful photographic essay on Red Jackson, a 16-year-old gang leader, showcased the gritty realities of gang life and earned him widespread acclaim. Over his 20-plus years at Life, Parks captured iconic figures such as Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, blending his social justice mission with his journalistic prowess (22:46).

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Transition to Fashion Photography

While renowned for his photojournalism, Parks also carved a significant niche in fashion photography. His early attempts to enter the fashion industry were met with blatant racism, as exemplified by his initial rejection from Harper's Bazaar (25:50). Undeterred, Parks was mentored by Edward Steichen, the father of modern fashion photography, who championed his talent and facilitated his entry into Vogue.

Parks' work for Vogue was groundbreaking. He mastered the art of creating mood and elegance in his fashion spreads, drawing inspiration from art history and renowned painters like Renoir and Matisse. His ability to blend documentary realism with haute couture aesthetics set him apart in the fashion world (27:13).

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Integration of Photojournalism and Fashion

Gordon Parks uniquely bridged the gap between photojournalism and fashion photography. At Life magazine, he balanced assignments on social issues with vibrant fashion spreads. Parks articulated the distinction between the two genres, stating, "In one, lay the responsibility to capture a prevailing mood, while on the other, the obligation was to create a mood" (27:13).

This dual focus allowed Parks to explore diverse facets of society, from the glamour of Parisian fashion to the stark realities of urban life. His ability to navigate and excel in both realms underscored his versatility and commitment to storytelling in all its forms.

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Legacy and Impact

Gordon Parks' legacy is a testament to his relentless pursuit of beauty and justice. His contributions to both photojournalism and fashion photography broke racial barriers and redefined visual narratives. Parks' work remains influential, inspiring future generations to harness art as a medium for social change.

Reflecting on his legacy, Parks once remarked, "I want relief from [the daily onslaught of prejudice]. I have a right to relief from it" (37:17). This sentiment encapsulates his lifelong dedication to using his art to both express personal struggles and advocate for broader societal reforms.

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Conclusion

April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary conclude the episode by urging listeners to reflect on Gordon Parks' enduring influence. Parks exemplified how one individual could use multiple platforms—photography, film, literature—to effect meaningful change. His ability to find beauty amidst adversity continues to inspire and resonate, solidifying his place as a pivotal figure in both fashion and social justice history.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Gordon Parks on Overcoming Adversity:
  "I was born dead. Indeed, the world might never have met Gordon Parks, had a young, quick-thinking doctor not plunged his lifeless body into a tub of icy water." (05:13)

• On Racism and Resilience:
  "The mecca of bigotry, where discrimination was solidly built on the stones of segregation. During those days, I ate hatred a lot." (05:57)

• Parks on Starting Photography:
  "Still suffering the cruelties of my past, I wanted a voice to help me escape it. In 1938, I bought a camera for $7.50, and that would become my voice." (09:34)

• Distinguishing Photojournalism from Fashion Photography:
  "In one, lay the responsibility to capture a prevailing mood, while on the other, the obligation was to create a mood." (27:13)

• On Balancing Social Justice and Art:
  "I want relief from [the daily onslaught of prejudice]. I have a right to relief from it." (37:17)

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Additional Resources

Listeners interested in exploring more about Gordon Parks or the topics discussed can visit dressedhistory.com for tours, classes, and upcoming episodes. The podcast also offers in-person Fashion History tours of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and online courses exploring the Golden Age of Haute Couture.

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Note: The episode effectively skips advertising and non-content sections, focusing solely on the enriching narrative of Gordon Parks' life and career, making it an invaluable resource for those seeking to understand the intersection of fashion, photography, and social justice.

Transcript

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[Dressed Podcast Host]

Please enjoy this episode from the Dressed Archive. We will be back with season eight and all new dress content in February 2025.

[April Callahan]

With over seven billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day we all get dressed.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Welcome to Dressed the History of Fashion, a podcast where we explore the who, what, when of why we wear.

[April Callahan]

We are fashion historians and your hosts.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Cassidy Zachary and April Callahan. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that when most people hear the name Gordon Parks, the first thing that comes to mind is not fashion photography.

[April Callahan]

Cass, I'm gonna have to agree with you. However, this world renowned 20th century luminary is often referred to Renaissance Man. He was a poet, a best selling novelist and memoirist. He wrote several autobiographies throughout his lifetime. He was a gifted pianist and composer. He was a Hollywood director. He directed five films that include the groundbreaking 1971 film Shaft.

[Cassidy Zachary]

But what Gordon was actually most famous for in terms of his work life was being a photojournalist for Life Magazine. And he was a self taught photographer who brought a face to American crime, poverty and the African American experience during some of the most pivotal moments of american history. He photographed and befriended Some of the most important figures of the 20th century, including Muhammad ali and malcolm x.

[April Callahan]

But really, more than a photographer, Parks shared an intimacy and trust with his subjects that earned him an unprecedented access to their lives and tribulations. He was really a man who understood many of his subjects, Experiences of racism, bigotry, poverty, because he too had lived them himself. Quote, whatever I've suffered is what I've become, he once said. And he used his camera as a weapon, as he liked to say, in the fight for justice. I pointed my camera mostly at people who needed someone to speak for them because they couldn't speak for themselves. That gordon parks was also a fashion photographer, well, that just adds to the many layers of this fascinating individual.

[Cassidy Zachary]

In narratives about parks, his work as a fashion photographer, if mentioned at all, Is mostly posited as a mere footnote to his genius. And yet, as we will discover today, the two seemingly polarizing fields of photojournalism and fashion photography Worked in tandem to define the career and brilliance of a man who wore many hats. All I have to say is, thank the fashion goddesses that he worked in this medium because it really gives us an opportunity to talk about amazing man on our show.

[April Callahan]

The youngest of 15 children, Parks was born to parents Sarah and Jackson Parks on November 30, 1912, in Fort Scott, a small town in rural kansas, where gordon's father was a farmer. And in his 2005 memoir, published the year before his death, the 89 year old Parks reflected back on the beginnings of his life, saying, nostalgia blankets me when I think back over the years past. Sometimes I knock on the door of my memory and it opens to an event that came close to denying me a future of any kind. I was born dead. Indeed, the world might never have met Gordon parks, Had a young, quick thinking doctor not plunged his lifeless body into a tub of icy water, wrote parks with determination. He had disallowed even death to defeat him. And in thanks to the man who saved her son, Parks mother gave him the doctor's name.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Gordon parker calls his hometown as a place, quote, touched by all the hands of nature, Bathed in lovely twilights, Burned in scorching summers, frozen, icy winters. But this paradise was also, in his words, quote, the mecca of bigotry, where discrimination was solidly built on the stones of segregation. During those days, I ate hatred a lot, end quote. He goes on to write about the numerous friends he knew that were murdered, as well as a brutal white cop that terrorized his neighborhood. Racism wasn't an unfortunate part of Gordon's daily life, but so too was love. And it is because of his hardworking mother and father that Kansas was both a heaven and a hell for Parks.

[April Callahan]

And throughout his life, Parks would return time and again to his formative years in Kansas. He would do it through his poetry, his camera, but also film. In 1969, he became the first African American to direct a major studio film, writing and directing the Learning Tree, which was a film based on his semi autobiographical novel of the same name. And embedded in Parks nostalgia for his childhood are the harsh realities of poverty and racism. And these are two things that would very much inform his work for his entire career.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Sadly, though, Parks beloved mother died when he was just 16 and his father sent him to live with one of his older sisters and her husband in St. Paul, Minnesota. Compared to his small town, St. Paul was really an intimidating big city for the impressionable Parks, who would always remember what his father told him just before he left. He said, just follow your mama's teaching and you'll be alright.

[April Callahan]

But Parks had a really hard go from the beginning. He and his sister's husband fought constantly. And after one particularly bad fight, Parks found himself thrown out in the cold in 30 below zero weather. And he was suddenly homeless. Writing I was at the bottom of it, and there was only. And that was up. Parks had played the piano since he was six years old. His mother had taught him, and it was this talent that would prove his saving grace during these uncertain times as he really struggled to find his footing. And he soon found a job playing the piano in a brothel, of all places. And this would be followed by a series of odd jobs, and he would really alternate stints as a musician with work as a busboy and a waiter.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And this was the era of the Great Depression, mind you, so not an easy time for many people. And Parks really struggled to find his place and to find happiness. But things started to begin to look up a bit in 1932, when, at the age of 20, he met Sally Alvis on a blind date. The couple was married the following year and welcomed their first child, Gordon Parks Jr. In 1935. But Parks struggled to support his young family, and his work often took him away from home for long periods of time. And it was while working as a waiter on a train that he was introduced to the powerful photography that would effectively rechart the course of his life.

[April Callahan]

Thanks to discarded magazines left by passengers on the train, Parks came face to face with the work of distinguished documentary photographers such as Walker Evans And Dorothea Lange, whose lenses captured the abject realities of life of the Great Depression. And these photographers, they were part of this social documentary project under the Farm Security Administration, which was a new deal agency that was created in 1933 to battle the poverty that was almost an epidemic during the Great Depression across the country. Quote, all were attacking the evils of poverty with camera, wrote Parks, capturing realities that he himself knew all too well.

[Cassidy Zachary]

These powerful images continued to resonate with parks when in 1937, he saw newsreel footage of the sinking of the USS Panay while on a train layover in Chicago. Parks was in awe of the stylish cameraman Norman Alley, who appeared on stage after the short clip, when, not long after, he happened to walk by a pawn shop and saw a camera in the window. Well, Park's lifelong passion for photography began. He said, quote, still suffering the cruelties of my past, I wanted a voice to help me escape it. In 1938, I bought a camera for $7.50, and that would become my voice.

[April Callahan]

But the powerful FSA photography was not the only inspiration behind Park's new venture. And in fact, from the very beginning of his foray into photograph, fashion itself appears to have been a driving force behind his aspirations. Because among the many discarded magazines on the train, Parks had also found Vogue magazine. And he was captivated by the images depicted within, and he studied them thoroughly and with curiosity. He remembered, quote, along with its fashion pages, I studied the names of its famous photographers. Steichen, Blumenfeld, Horst, Beaten, Heunit. Thinking meanwhile, that my own name could look quite natural among them.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Parks would later go on to say, the reason I've done so many things is not because I was a genius, but because I had to eat. I couldn't afford to take up photography for fun. So the minute I had a camera in my hands, I had to make money with it in one way or another. And by 1939, Parks was photographing for the St. Paul Recorder in St. Paul as well as the St. Paul YWCA and the International Institute. And it was in the year of 1940 that would really prove a turning point in his career. That year, he and Sally welcomed their daughter Tony, and Parks begins to shoot fashions for Frank Murphy's Town and Country department store.

[April Callahan]

Now, Parks writes that he was often asked why he did not allow anger and bigotry to maim him throughout his life. And his response was, quote, the answer lies in the goodness of people who, regardless of their color, reached out to me when I needed help. And One of these people was Mrs. Madeline Murphy, wife of Frank Murphy, owner of one of the most exclusive women's clothing stores in St. Paul. And park says he went to every department store in town asking for an opportunity to photograph their merchandise, but he was repeatedly turned away. But such would have been the case here had Madeline not stopped her husband from ushering Parks out the door as he had intended to do. And she insisted that her husband give the young stranger a chance.

[Cassidy Zachary]

But with this chance came one tiny problem. Parks actually had no idea what he was doing when it came to fashion photography.

[April Callahan]

Fake it till you make it.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, exactly. He had only really ever studied other people's photographs of fashion. He had never actually photographed fashion himself. But everprizing Parks was able to borrow the proper equipment from a friend who owned a camera shop, and he showed up to his first photo shoot prepared. He impressed the Murphys and I think maybe even himself a little bit. Everything was looking great until Parks took the camera film to be processed and discovered a huge problem. Uh oh, and we're gonna find out what that was. After a brief sponsor break, today's episode is sponsored by Acorns Dress listeners. The new year is upon us, and with the annual refresh of our calendars, so too comes our personal list of New Year's resolutions. And if you're anything like me, every year that includes contributing more to my investment and savings accounts. But as the months go by and expenses arise and opportunities appear, I don't always meet my savings goals.

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[Cassidy Zachary]

Welcome back. And back to Park's problem. What happened was when he took the film to be developed, he discovered that all but one image had been double exposed.

[April Callahan]

Oh no.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oopsies. But he just decided he's like, okay, I've already done this job. I'm going to put all my faith in this one image. He made a huge print of it and then he put it outside the department store on an easel to greet people upon their arrival. And Madeline was thrilled and his job with the company was secured.

[April Callahan]

In a testament to the importance of this experience in Park's life, he and Madeline remained friends throughout their lives. And when he later asked her why she decided to give him his break. She said, well, I don't know, Gordon. I think I was just mad at Frank for something that day. I can relate to this.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And it was while photographing for the Murphy's that Parks met one of their clients. Her name was Marva Lewis, and she was the wife of world champion boxer Joe Lewis. She was really impressed with his work and asked if he would take her portrait. And after he did, she implored him to move to Chicago, where she promised to find him work among her affluent friends. And apparently, she must have been pretty persuasive in this, because in 1941, Parks packs up his family and they moved to the Windy City. A friend found him a studio with a dark room in the Southside Art center, and Marva kept her promise. Many society women sat before his camera. Wrote Parks, quote, suddenly my pockets were welcoming the kind of money they had never known before.

[April Callahan]

But despite all of his success, Parks knew that above all else, he wanted to use his camera to, quote, strike at the evil of poverty. And it seemed like everywhere he looked in Chicago, there was an opportunity to do so. And within his first year, Parks accumulated such an impressive body of work that he held an exhibition at the south side Art center, subsequently becoming the first photographer to receive the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship, which was a grant largely focused on supporting the African American community. And between 1917 and its end in 1948, the fund donated over $70 million to schools, museums, and other black institutions, as well as to artists, writers, and intellectuals, including one Gordon Parks.

[Cassidy Zachary]

This fellowship provided Parks with a monthly stipend and also a choice of where he wanted to pursue the fellowship. Where do you think that he picked, Cass? I'll give you a hint. It maybe ties back a little bit to one of the magazines that he found on the train.

[April Callahan]

Well, I do know that he loved Vogue, but something tells me his choice has something more to do with the FSA photographers he so admired.

[Cassidy Zachary]

You would be correct. Parks packed up his family yet again and moved to Washington, D.C. where he began his fellowship at the Farm Security Administration. Administration under the guidance of Roy Stryker, the man responsible for the documentary photographic project of the Division. In other words, he was basically now working with the person who had enlisted the talents of all the photographers that Parks had so admired. So this was a really big deal.

[April Callahan]

For him, and it really was, and he was very excited for this opportunity. But any illusions that he may have had about this city were quickly squashed because Stryker sent Parks out on his own to explore the city for the first time. And Parks writes, I went with enthusiasm. The sky was without clouds. The entire universe seemed to greet me with promise. But soon my contentment began crumbling in this radiant, historic place. Racism was rampant. White restaurants shooed me to the back door. White theaters refused me. The tone of white clerks at Julius Garfinkel's department store riled me. Clothing I had hoped to buy there went unbought. I hurried back to Stryker. My face told him everything.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And apparently Stryker responded as such. Obviously, you ran into some bigots out there this afternoon. Well, it's not enough to take one person's picture and label it bigot. You have to get to the source of their bigotry, and that's not easy. The camera becomes a powerful weapon when put to good use. Talk to other black people who have spent their entire lives here.

[April Callahan]

And it was not long after this conversation that Parks took what would become one of his most famous photographs. American Gothic, named after the iconic Grant Wood painting, with the American farm couple that are standing side by side, and the man's holding a pitchfork, and they're both staring straight ahead. Well, Park's version was of Ella Watson, a black cleaning woman he had observed mopping the floor at the FSA one evening. And the stage really set itself. He says that in the lobby of the FSA, in front of a hanging American flag, Ella stares straight into the camera, a broom in one hand, a mop in the other. It is a strikingly poignant photograph that says so much without even having to say a word.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Gordon spent the next week photographing Ella at her home and with her family in a style that would come to define his work of this period. There was no sugar coating the harsh realities that Parks bore witness to. He reproduced them for the viewer in black and white with a stark clarity that made no illusions about the everyday lives of his subjects. Unfortunately for Parks, the FSA was abolished the following year. Quote, Southern senators and congressmen had gnawed the Farm Security Administration to pieces, he wrote. Its pictures, crammed with Americans poor and dispossessed, practically amounted to the government's indictment of itself. Wow.

[April Callahan]

Yeah. Throughout the 1940s, parks would continue to intimately work with Stryker on a series of photographs, including a stint at the owi, or Office of War Information, where he was tasked with photographing the All Black 332nd Fighter Group. So this is World War II, mind you, and the United States military was segregated. So when Parks was prevented from traveling with the airmen overseas, this is actually something he credits to systematic racism. Parks says the government did not Want the achievements of these men documented. So after that, he left the OWI and he went to work with Stryker in New York on a public relations campaign for the Standard Oil company. Now he was hired to document the advantages of oil in the lives of people across the country. But really, more than a typical publicity campaign, what Parks produced was a poignant essay of rural life, its highs and lows across the country. During the 1940s of this time, Parks.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Writes, quote, black people were on the move against racism and I wanted to move with them. The right forum was uncertain. Life magazine was the most likely prospect. But a multitude of white photographers had tried and failed to join the staff of that prestigious publication, end quote. In 1948, however, Parks walked into the offices of the magazine unannounced. You might notice there's a little bit of a common theme here. He was not shy. So Parks, he might not have had an appointment, but what he did have was charisma, determination and talent. And that was enough to impress the pictures editor, Wilson Hicks, to hire him.

[April Callahan]

His first photographic essay for the magazine is also one of his most famous. And Parks gained the trust of a 16 year old gang leader by the name of Red Jackson, Bringing Red's perilous world to the Life readership in this haunting, jarring photographic essay that revealed the harsh realities of gang life. And this included up close photographs of beatings and fights that happened, murder and death, but also revealed the heart and struggle of these young men that were just trying to find their way in the world. And the story was eye opening and it was heart wrenching, and the Life readership was transfixed. And very shortly after, Parks was hired onto the staff, becoming the first black staff photographer in the history of the publication. And by 1949, Parks had completed over 40 assignments for the magazine.

[Cassidy Zachary]

In his 20 plus years at Life, Parks continued to pin one poignant, captivating visual narrative up for the magazine after another. Whether it be Muhammad Ali, Malcolm x, or a 612 year old boy named Flavio who was living in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. It was clear that Parks cared about his subjects and that they cared for him back. He was the godfather to one of Malcolm X's sons, after all. He even brought Flavio to the United States for treatment with the help of thousands of dollars in donations from Life magazine readers.

[April Callahan]

Yeah, Park's stories revealed his sincerity and his heart that he really put into his work. This captivated audiences. And so is it any wonder that his work remains as riveting today as it was 50 years ago. If you combine all of his achievements in photojournalism with his work in film and music and poetry, well, you have one of the most important luminaries of the 20th century. But I'm sure our listeners, April, are wondering, just what exactly does all of this have to do with fashion?

[Cassidy Zachary]

Running parallel to all of Parks's important social documentarian work from the 1940s to the 1970s was also his work in fashion photography. And you might be thinking to yourself, could the two fields of fashion photography and photojournalism be any more different? Well, the answer is yes and no, I guess, perhaps. But if there was anybody who was going to tackle this and traverse such diverse fields, it was our renaissance man, Gordon Parks.

[Dressed Podcast Host]

So according to Parks, in 1944, which is the same year he began working for the Standard Oil Company, this is the same year that he secured his big break in fashion. Through a colleague, Parks made an appointment with Alexa Brodovich, the art director of Harper's Bazaar. And this would seem, on the surface, like an amazing opportunity, right? Except for one not so minor issue, and that was racism. Because after observing Park's portfolio, Brodovich first asked him if the work was even his, which is incredibly offensive, but perhaps not as offensive as what he told him next, which was something like, your work's great, but because I work for the Hearst Corporation, we are not allowed to hire black people for anything, quote, not even for sweeping floors.

[April Callahan]

Wow.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Makes me feel different about Harper's Bazaar during that time period. Now, Parks understandably left the office upset, but like so many other obstacles in his life, this experience just served to fortify his determination. After telling Stryker about the experience, he suggested that Parks meet with another fashion luminary, a name we have heard, oh, I don't know, perhaps a few dozen times on the season of Dressed, Parks was sent to meet the father of modern fashion photography himself, Edward Steichen. Steichen was outraged by that quote, son of a bitch. Brodovich. And he sent Parks directly to Harper Bazaar's rival publication, Vogue, where Parks met with the magazine's art director, Alexander Lieberman. Parks waited with bated breath while Lieberman slowly examined his photographs. But Steichen's instincts were correct, and Lieberman offered Parks a job.

[April Callahan]

According to Parks, his work for Conde Nast publications began with photographing sportswear for Glamour magazine under the direction of Tina Fredericks, who Parks says washed over him like a mother hen. And he really writes that both she and Lieberman were invested in his success from the very beginning. And in six months time, Lieberman entrusted him with a multi page spread of evening gowns for Vogue, something Parks called the apogee of the opportunity given to him.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And Parks really honed his skills during this period and gained valuable insights into the difference between documentary photography and a fashion photograph. Writing quote in one lay the responsibility to capture a prevailing mood, while on the other the obligation was to create a mood. Foremost it was a consideration for what the designers were attempting to express with their creations, and the settings had to be complementary to their efforts. Equally important was the need for good taste in blending the clothes and the backgrounds into graceful compositions. I love that, I love that quote. And really, for his inspiration, Parks drew a lot on the history of art, particularly painters, including the compositions of Renoir, Matisse, Rubens and a lot of the other artists that he had observed their work at the Chicago Art Institute.

[April Callahan]

I do have to say, however, that there is competing information about when exactly Parks went to work for Vogue, because Parks specifically dates it to 1944 and he distinctively remembers it that way. But then you have the Gordon Parks foundation, which has it dated to 1947. I also contacted the Vogue archive and they have no record of parks before 1947. And even then the archivist said that his first fashion images do not appear until 1960, so perhaps he wasn't credited or freelancer. So if anyone has any more information on this, please share it with me. If you know of any early, early Gordon Parks fashion photographs.

[Cassidy Zachary]

What we do know for sure, Cass, though, is that Parks went to work for Life magazine in 1948, and while photojournalism was certainly high at the top of his ambitions, apparently so too was fashion. When he had his first meeting with Wilson Hicks, he was asked what he wanted to photograph for the magazine Life magazine, and Parks replied, gang wars up in Harlem and fashion.

[April Callahan]

Parks writes, I had been given assignments that I had never expected to earn. Some proved to be as different as silk and iron once crime and fashion were served to me on the same day. The color of a Dior gown I photographed one afternoon turned out to be the same color as the blood of a murdered gang member I had photographed earlier that morning up in Harlem. I mean, Parks is really good at romanticizing a lot of his experiences and his memoirs, as you'll because you'll notice.

[Cassidy Zachary]

But his work is particularly interesting in that I don't think that a lot of people would associate Life magazine with fashion, but it really, truly was a prominent part of the magazine, thanks in part to the fashion editor, Sally Kirkland. And we've even referenced the magazine a couple times or used it as sources in our research, working on different episodes that have already happened this season, because the magazine isn't a fashion magazine specifically. You know, they focused on fashion that was newsmaking, so. And a lot of times they were even at the forefront of exposing new designs such as the leotard and the monokini, which you've already talked about on Dressed. So Life magazine really did offer Parks this rare opportunity to explore different aspects of his career simultaneously.

[April Callahan]

And covering fashions for the magazine meant that Parks was sent to Paris to cover the seasonal collections. And he says, war had left Paris in wanting. Yet the famed fashion houses of Molyneux, Balenciaga, Chanel, Jacques Fath and Schiaparelli still maintained the elegance of pre war days, despite the leftover problems of war. The plush salons were packed with clients from different countries of the world. The aroma of their costly perfumes enveloped the mannequins who pranced up and down the runways. But the beauty of Paris was outside.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And park reveled in his surroundings, saying, quote, for me, Paris was a golden time. What a long way this all was. From Kansas and from Harlem, I was intoxicated. I even dared to dream that I would one day live and work here. But that seemed nothing but an impossible dream. End quote. We should know now that for Parks, nothing was impossible. And in 1950, Life magazine transplanted Parks, his wife, and now three children, saying three because the couple had their third child, David. In 1944, they transplanted and moved them to Paris. Parks writes, quote, paris became a beautiful mistress. For the first time in my life, I was relaxing from tension and pressure. My thoughts, continually rampaging from racial conditions, were suddenly becoming as peaceful as snowflakes.

[April Callahan]

Inspired by the art, music and culture around him, it is perhaps not surprising that it was while living and working in Paris that Parks produced some of the most beautiful fashion imagery of his career. The most exquisite of which, in my opinion, is this photograph from 1950. And it's of this model wearing this incredible tiered Balenciaga gown. And it's made of layers and layers of leaf shaped sheared fabric. And the gown is topped with this magnificent Balenciaga overcoat. Really, it's this testament to the master couturier's architectural construction. And it's topped with a hat that's perched horizontally on the head. And the model's face peers out from beneath a sheer veil. And perhaps an homage to the fine art masters park so admired, he has even framed her as if she's in a still life painting because she's standing next to a basket of artfully arranged fruit.

[Cassidy Zachary]

In another of these photographs from this time period, four giant evening gowns by Jacques Fath fill the frame. The image is one of utter sophistication and grandeur. It's highly structured, wide skirted gowns modeled by four incredibly elegant, smiling women. And park said of his sitters for this photograph, quote, some models are instantly inspiring, moving like ballerinas and with poetry in their manners, and they are a pleasure to work with. Others were granite faced, colorless as winter leaves and motionless as tree trunks. A large part of a photographic session was often spent trying to loosen up their mummified expressions. At times I longed for a course in psychology. It would have proven helpful.

[April Callahan]

Parks also says of his time in Paris. For me, it was a golden time, crowned with dazzling gowns and beauteous mannequins. Dorian Lee, Bettina, Janine Klein, Jackie Stoloff, Susie Parker. Carmen de Vima. He's talking about Carmen Della Feature de Vima. Sally had found a studio for me, but it was rarely used because Paris's outer face was too compelling. No enclosure, no matter how dramatic, could have transcended the blue haze. Mornings when blood red suns filtered through the fogs and mists. My backgrounds became the marbled bridges spanning the Seine, ancient buildings, embowered streets and inflowing boulevards.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Something that I found particularly interesting was that while living in Paris, Parks wife Sally also turned her attention to designing hats. And she was apparently quite good at it.

[April Callahan]

Yeah.

[Cassidy Zachary]

With the support of her husband and his industry connections, Sally was taken on as a trainee with a prestigious designer on the rue Saint Honore. But when Sally was offered a choice to design the spring collection for a French hat maker, she actually refused. I'm like scratching my head and it turns out the reason why she said no, she turned down this offer is that her and her husband had been drifting apart for some time. And when the family returned from Paris after Parks's two year assignment ended, their marriage was pretty much over. Parks would marry and divorce two more times throughout his life, having another daughter, Leslie, with his second wife, Elizabeth Campbell.

[April Callahan]

Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s, fantasy and reality, fashion and photojournalism would remain two opposing and yet mutually reinforcing forces in Park's life, even if a wife would not. And as mentioned, the Vogue archive does confirm his work with the magazine from 1960 to 1965. And he was also still shooting fashions for Life magazine at this time. And in a departure from the black and white photography that really dominated his career, Park's work during this period and during the 1960s specifically is characterized by this bold use of brilliant color.

[Cassidy Zachary]

He says, quote, I tend to use color when it dominates, while certain photographers feel that black and white expresses the real truth of their subject matter. But I have at times found color to be even more acceptable to the eye, end quote. And there's one particular image of his, of Verushka, the legendary model, up against a stained glass window that immediately comes to mind when we think of his work. She's stunning in all of her 1960s rainbow finery up against this window.

[April Callahan]

Yeah, I mean, there's so many fabulous things happening with color in the 60s. How could you not express it? And he has this wonderful series of photographs from 1961, and he captures this model, and she's dancing across the camera, and she has this beautiful orange and pink James Galanos gown, and the world and the dress are just swirling around her, but she is clear as day. And it's Parks ability to capture his model and movements. This is one of the defining elements of his work. Parks writes of his years in fashion photography. It was a good time, a joyous passage blossoming with beautiful clothes and vibrantly lovely models of that era. And with an undying love for both, I pursued them in Paris and. And otherworldly bastions of haute couture for decades to come.

[Cassidy Zachary]

In 1970, Parks expanded his purview yet again when he was approached by the young founders of Essence, a new monthly magazine aimed at, quote, the young, urban, inquisitive and acquisitive black woman, end quote. He started out with his toe in, remembers Ed Lewis, who was one of the magazine's founders. And he goes on to say, and he ended up with the top of his head in. Parks served as the editor in chief for the first three years of the magazine, yet another platform within which he could explore both of his love of fashion and his social justice prerogative. Pinning powerful portfolios of women like Rosa Parks while also photographing fashion spreads of the season's latest accessories.

[April Callahan]

And many might question the importance of Parks work in fashion, really, when you consider the broader scope of his life and career, especially when you compare his fashion photographs of, well, they're almost exclusively of white women. And when you compare these with his work covering the plights of African Americans, I mean, the two are immediately at odds with one another. But interviewed by essence magazine in 1972, park said, quote, I don't feel at this stage of my life that I have to apologize for any way I go because I've paid my dues both ways. For 10 years I traveled all over the world seeking out black people. I covered Martin Luther King's and Malcolm X's death. I also did royalty or covered the fashions in Paris, London and Spain. It was a relief for me from the drudgery of the daily onslaught of prejudice, discrimination and bigotry I suffered as a boy. I want relief from it. I have a right to relief from it.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Gordon Parks continued to work and inspire up until his death in 2006 at the age of 93 years old. Thanks to his numerous autobiographies and also documentaries and exhibitions about his work work, Parks contributions and legacies have been ingrained into the public consciousness, his heart, passion and fight for social justice and reform immortalized in a lifetime of images that he left us. And while his work in fashion might often feel at odds with his photojournalistic pursuits, they truly speak to a man who, despite the hardships of his life and the world in which he lived, sought to capture beauty in all of its form forms something he pursued until the very end of his life.

[April Callahan]

That does it for us today. Dressed listeners, may you all consider the legacy of this incredible man, Gordon Parks. Next time you get Dressed.

[Dressed Podcast Host]

Dressed will be back with season eight and all brand new episodes in February of next year.

[Cassidy Zachary]

But until then, remember, we love hearing from you. So if you would like to write to us, you can do so Athellorust dressed history.com dressedhistory.com is also where of course you can register for our tours, our trips, our new class, anything else that we have up our finely tailored sleeves.

[Dressed Podcast Host]

That includes April's twice weekly in person Fashion History tours of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as our brand new dress to School of Fashion Live online course the 1950s Golden Age Haute Couture which is now open for registration and we do have gift cards available for both April's tours and the class. So just send us an [e-mail] and also send us an email if you want to get on the first to know list for our New York City Day tours coming your way in April 2025 and our Paris Fashion History tours coming your way in June. Registration for both of these tours will open in January and we do expect them to sell out, so send us an email to get on those lists.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Thank you as always for your continued support. Dressed will be coming back your way for season eight in early February. The History of Fashion is a production of dressed media.