Madame Yevonde
I want to talk about ONE of my photographer heroes. She was one of the earliest proponents of color photography and helped sway the unusually negative opinion on color photography the public seemed to possess. Madame Yevonde created some of the most striking early photographs of the early 20th century.
Born Yevonde Cumbers in London in 1893. Her father was a manufacturer of printing inks and introduced her to his love of color. She was educated at progressive and liberal boarding schools in her youth. She was always independent and found purpose following women’s liberationist Mary Wollstonecraft and the suffragette movement. She soon discovered that she did not possess the kinds of skills that would make for a great leader in the suffrage movement so she stopped and found a new direction, that of the apprenticeship with the famous photographer Lallie Charles. She worked with Lallie Charles for 3 years and eventually used her skills and a small gift from her father to open her first photography studio in 1914. She wanted to explore themes of women’s sexuality and their role in society, a direction she would continue until her death. Her professional alias was formed and it was declared that “Madame Yevonde is open for business” at the age of 21.
She got prominent guests to sit for free and quickly earned a reputation as an exceptional photographer and she appeared in many of the big society magazines of the day. She started moving away from the traditionally stiff portraits of her former mentor, to a still formal, but far more creative style. Her signature style, a well-lit figure sitting in front of dark and colorful props started popping up at this time. She upgraded studios in 1921 and worked in advertising and portraiture for even more prominent celebrities. She was also the first woman to speak at the Professional Photographers Association, a huge feat indeed.
In the early 1930’s, Yevonde began experimenting with color photography using the Vivex color process, a proprietary method created by Colour Photography Ltd., operators of the first professional color printing service. The process involved creating waxed cellophane negatives using filters for each of the primaries, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow to create three separate negative plates. The separate negatives could then be printed on top of one another by hand. This process created a very distinctive and customizable color profile that Yevonde would exploit to great effect. Reds and Yellows were bold, highlights were vibrant, and pastels proved buttery using this method. Yevonde felt these qualities matched her own extrovert personality well. She set out to master the medium and began experimenting as soon as possible.
She became a prominent portrait photographer. Fortune magazine commissioned Yevonde to photograph the final stages of the completion of the ocean liner, the Queen Mary. This work was a departure but still a great success and led to her photographing many of the leading peers and socialites of her time to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She was becoming a major figure in photography.
Now here is where the real meat and potatoes of her work starts; Madame Yevonde was made aware of a themed party focusing on the greek gods and goddesses. themed party and was inspired. She ended up photographing the guests in their attire with bold lighting and props. The colors and air of these photos is truly something else. There is a luscious, painterly quality to her colors that seems so classic, bold, and haunting. She truly mastered the Vivex process better than anyone else. When feeling that she had mastered the process enough, she went on to create a show of her work in 1932 that gained rave reviews. Her work started veering towards the surreal and anticipated the Surrealist movement that would blow up before the decade was over.
During Madame Yevonde’s heyday Colour Photography Ltd., the creators and sole proprietors of the Vivex color process, shut its doors. The same year, her husband Edgar Middleton, died of cancer, and those events made Yevonde put down her color camera and pick up Black & White photography again. She continued producing photos until her death but never again matched her success in the 20’s and 30’s. That's not to say that she didn't produce great work, but a war can really distract the public from keeping up with its artists.
I find her work fresh even to this day and have yet to see another photographer capture the specific qualities of her work. I am in constant awe that this powerhouse of the early color process is not mentioned more. Her work is so timeless and could work in countless publications and galleries today. I see her influence on modern art and advertising all the time. Madame Yevonde is truly an original force in art and photography that deserves a second look.
P.s. If you have some spare time, visit www.madameyevonde.com and prepare to have your mind blown by beauty. The majority of her work is posted for you to peruse.
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