• [Chanel, Coco. (1883–1971)] Meyer, Baron Adolph de. (1868–1946)
  • [Chanel, Coco. (1883–1971)] Meyer, Baron Adolph de. (1868–1946)

[Chanel, Coco. (1883–1971)] Meyer, Baron Adolph de. (1868–1946)

[Chanel, Coco. (1883–1971)] Meyer, Baron Adolph de. (1868–1946)
Proof Portrait Photograph, probably for Harper’s Bazaar, ca.1923
Gelatin silver print


An original  portrait of the great fashion designer by photographer Baron Adolph de Meyer in proof format, likely for publication in Harper's Bazaar. Chanel is shown in an elegant fur coat and pearls, with a quotation below: "To my mind, simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance... A really well-dressed woman in her afternoon clothes should be able to pass through a motley crowd unnoticed, but should create a mild sensation on entering a drawing-room among the knowing élite." Dated at the lower right: "Feb. 23." Some wear, creases, and discoloration from tape mounting to the edges; otherwise overall in fine condition. 11 x 14.25 inches (28 x 36 cm).

Famously eccentric, the self-crowned "Baron" Adolph de Meyer ushered in a new era of fashion photography with his dreamy, evocative portraits. He shaped the aesthetic of Vogue and Vanity Fair, where he worked in New York in the 1910's–1920's, before being wooed away to Harper's Bazaar by William Randolph Hearst in 1922.