
Marina Vaizey reviews Vogue 100 at the National Portrait Gallery London. The centenary of British Vogue, which was first published in 1916, when it became impossible to send American Vogue to Britain during the First World War, has been noted and celebrated with a major exhibition of hundreds of photographs, some so familiar that it is startling to realise that they were first published in Vogue, and publications to match. How much Vogue reflects the zeitgeist, and how much Vogue reports the spirit of the times, and how much Vogue actually shapes how we envision our times through the lens of some of the hundred and more photographers whose work is on view - does Vogue lead or follow in this visual history of the 20th and early 21st century is a fascinating question for social historians. But the wealth of imagery on view which ranges from depicting the elite of society to the glitterati and literati, the intelligentsia, the so called movers and shakers, to the extraordinary range of fashion from couture to off the peg, not only provides a wealth of historical and social information, but enormous enjoyment - and entertainment. This is serious stuff, but presented with gossamer lightness, a fairytale world with its roots in reality.
Page Count:
40
Publication Date:
2016-01-01
Publisher:
CV Publications
ISBN-10:
191011040X
ISBN-13:
9781910110409
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