images that haunt us
“Lotte Eckener was born in Friedrichshafen in 1906 to the famous airship pioneer Hugo Eckener. In 1924 she moved to Munich to study at the Bavarian State School of Photography. Her first professional stop was the renowned Atelier Alexander Binder on Kurfürstendamm, where the great and rich of the golden 20s came and went. She portrayed famous stars like Josef von Sternberg, Helene Thimig and Anny Ondra and took photographs for advertising orders.” quoted from source
Ce tirage fut réalisé pour illustrer l’ouvrage ‘La Déesse Cypris’ de Henri de Montherlant en 1946. Laure Albin Guillot utilisait fréquement ses photographies de nu des années trente en les recadrant parfois. | src Christie’s
Nu féminin endormi, 1932 (Mention au crayon au verso: «Thèmes pour une flèche arabe et avec les génies noires qui dorment la nuque dans la saignée de mon bras. Étude de nu. Femme au singulier». Photographie provenant de l’ouvrage «La deésse Cypris» de Henry de Montherlant, illustré par Laure Albin-Guillot). | Female Nude Asleep, 1932 (Written in pencil on the back: «Themes for an Arab arrow with black spirits who rest the neck on my bleeding. Nude study. Woman in Singular». Photograph from the book «Goddess Cypris» by Henry de Montherlant, illustrated by Laure Albin-Guillot). | src Aguttes
Clementina Maude, her mother’s preferred model, is seen here in a reflective pose against a star-studded wall. The casual placement of the shawl on the table and the girl’s loose hair contribute to the feeling of intimacy. In the airy room time seems to be suspended. The sensuous curves of the table legs, the soft weight of the crushed velvet, and the crispness of the starry wallpaper are enhanced by the skillful handling of the collodion technique. The composition, devoid of Victorian clutter, brings together light, shadow, and compositional elements in a spare and appealing interplay. In contrast to the prevailing fashion of giving literary or sentimental titles to portraits of young women, Lady Hawarden titled her works simply “Photographic Study”.
un regard oblique 