Louise Emma Augusta Dahl (November 19, 1895 in San Francisco, California – December 11, 1989) was a photographer, known primarily for her work for Harper's Bazaar with fashion editor Diana Vreeland. Born to Norwegian parents, Dahl-Wolfe was known for taking photographs outdoors, with natural light in distant locations from South America to Africa in what became known as "environmental" fashion photography. She married sculptor Meyer Wolfe, who constructed the backgrounds of many of her photos [1]. She preferred portraiture to fashion photography. Notable portraits include: Mae West, Cecil Beaton, Eudora Welty, W.H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, Orson Welles, Carson McCullers, Edward Hopper, Colette and Josephine Baker. She is known for having "discovered" a teenage Lauren Bacall. She was a great influence on photographers Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. One of her assistants was Milton H. Greene.
Works
- Dahl-Wolfe, Louise. Louise Dahl-Wolfe: A Photographer’s Scrapbook. New York: St. Martin’s/Marek, 1984.
References
- Museum of Contemporary Photography Louise Dahl-Wolfe by Kendra Greene
External links
- National Museum of Women in the Arts Louise Dahl-Wolfe Portfolio
- Documentary Channel Louise Dahl-Wolfe: Painting with Light documentary by Director/Producer Tom Neff
