Bob Landry - Part 3

This week's Bob Landry round-up finishes with two contrasting photos, both taken in the same year, showcasing Landry's outstanding photojournalistic prowess and his effortless eye for classic Hollywood glamour. I won't add any of my own comments...suffice it to say that I will let the images speak for themselves.

French Patriots and a German Collaborator -Bob Landry (1945)

Fred Astaire - Bob Landry (1945)

Bob Landry - Part 2

Rita Hayworth - Bob Landry (1941)

As well as war photography, Bob Landry perhaps rose to fame with this iconic shot of American actress Rita Hayworth. It rapidly became one of the most popular pin-up shots of the war, adorning GI's lockers all over the world. It was considered racy and provocative in 1941 but is, of course, tame by modern standards. In technical terms, it isn't even a particularly good shot - Hayworth's face is a tad over-exposed and she is casting a fairly strong shadow - but this wasn't a set-up studio shot. Landry managed to capture Hayworth in an intimate moment, and there is no single definitive story of how this came about. Landry managed to capture intimate glamour - indeed, I would argue that the technical deficiency of the image actually enhances this. The viewer is invited to feel like they are looking at a cheeky clandestine shot of one of the world's most famous women. The image feels (by 1941 standards) voyeuristic - a forbidden pleasure.

Bob Landry

Perhaps more famous for being the only photographer to be in the first wave of troops on D-Day in 1944 (and consequently losing all of his footage), Bob Landry took many iconic shots of the 1940's. This is one of my favourites:

Chaplain playing violin with singing British 8th Army staff the night before an attack - Bob Landry (1942)

This image has particular resonance with me, as my own grandfather was in the 8th Army in North Africa at this time, and for all I know he could even be in that photo. It's a wonderfully simple, powerful image, with the troops framed by a setting sun on the horizon that says a great deal about humanity at a time of war. The only detail that can be seen in the shot is the truck, with all the troops reduced to silhouettes - anonymous for all time.

I will post another iconic Bob Landry shot tomorrow.