“Jumpology.”
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| Halsman & Marilyn Monroe |
Philippe Halsman, with
an unsurpassed 101 LIFE magazine covers to his credit, had the bold and
unconventional idea back in the 1950’s to ask the famous and prominent
people he was commissioned to photograph for the likes of LIFE, LOOK and
the Saturday Evening Post, once the formal sessions were over, to jump!
The results were amazing, as each subject interpreted this bizarre
request in their own unique way, often defying their typical public
image. We see Richard Nixon as he floats twelve inches above the
floor with a peaceful smile on his face, a far cry from the scowl many
of us ultimately remember him by. And there is the rather large
Jackie Gleason, in a handsome dark suit and his fingers extended wide,
defying gravity as he lifts off, and from somewhere off-camera we can’t
help but hear “To the moon, Alice.”
Marilyn Monroe,
Brigitte Bardot, and even the Duke
and Duchess of Windsor agreed to take a leap of faith. In that era
of live television along with the popularity of the big glossy
magazines, one’s image was not nearly as protected and shaped by
handlers as it is today. There was a feeling of innocence, a
desire for spontaneity, and Halsman, with his playful and charming
personality, knew he had to get almost everyone to oblige his demand:
JUMP!
Philippe Halsman was
born in
Latvia in 1906, and began his
photographic career in Paris in the early 1930’s. He emigrated to
New York in the fall of 1940, as Paris
fell to the Nazis. He
soon became one of the most prominent photographers in America., his
photographs published widely and regularly. He died in 1979. His
photographs have been collected and exhibited by museums around the
world.
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| Duke and Duchess of Windsor |
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|
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| Sophia Loren |
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| Brigitte Bardot |
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| Benny Goodman |
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| Grace Kelly |
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| Jackie Gleason |
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| Jane Mansfield |
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| Lena Horne |
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| Marilyn Monroe |
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| Robert Oppenheimer |
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| Richard Nixon |
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| Eva Marie Saint |
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