The World Captured by Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham, a seminal figure in fashion photography, is celebrated for his profound impact on capturing street style. Born in 1929 and passing away in 2016, Cunningham was a fixture at The New York Times, where his columns "On the Street" and "Evening Hours" became iconic showcases of everyday fashion. He was perhaps our first true fashion historian.
Courtesy of Bill Cunningham
His posthumous autobiography, Fashion Climbing, begins with him remembering the time he had put on his sister’s dress, being held against the wall, and beaten by his mother at only four-years-old. He was an oddity inside his Catholic home in Depression-Era Massachusetts. He writes, “My dear parents gathered all their Bostonian reserve and decided the best cure was to hide me from any artistic or fashionable life.” His love of fashion was innate and unalterable. There would be no hiding and much excitement to come.
Bill Cunningham in 1954, courtesy of Anthony Mack
Fish Hat designed by William J
Bill Cunningham initially embarked on a promising academic path, earning a scholarship to Harvard. However, he left after just two months, drawn by a rabid passion for fashion. In 1948, he moved to New York City, where he launched his own millinery business, William J, in 1949. But as fashion trends shifted and hats fell out of style, Cunningham closed his shop in 1962. He joined Women's Wear Daily as a fashion reporter. It wasn’t until 1967 that Cunningham picked up a camera for the first time, a move that would redefine his career and solidify his place as a legendary street style photographer and a legend to the fashion world in general.
His photographs were featured in WWD, the Chicago Tribune, and he had his own column in The New York Times called “On the Street”. Though he wore his uniform of a blue French worker’s jacket he found functional due to all the pockets and his signature bike (which was stolen approximately 28 times), his character was colorful enough. When times were tough financially, he’d live off of two spoons of Ovaltine a day but never really went beyond a thrift store to find new threads for himself. He loved style and documenting the interesting things that other people wore.
Renowned for his spontaneous and candid approach, Cunningham had a unique talent for documenting everyday people in their most authentic, eclectic outfits. His tireless work ethic saw him traversing New York City on his bicycle, always on the lookout for fresh, inspiring fashion moments.
Bill Cunningham on his bike via Pinterest
He was on a search for answers, always, and would park himself near the Bergdorf’s at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifty-Seventh Street. He used his camera as a pen to take notes on what the people wore, mostly women. In 2008 he was awarded the L’Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, and in 2009 was declared a living landmark of New York City. Anna Wintour said about Bill Cunningham: “We all get dressed for Bill.”
His candid capturing set the precedent for street photography today. Instagram accounts like Johnny Cirillo of @watchingnewyork keeps this practice alive.
@watchingnewyork on Instagram
Free-flowing and candid, like a stream of consciousness when one doodles, street-photographer is the practice of that of an historian. What are real people wearing in their everyday lives? Perhaps the best documentation of each year’s trends is simply by capturing how people existed. Authentic and real and simple.
What set Cunningham apart was not just his keen eye for style but his unassuming nature and unwavering dedication to his craft. Living modestly and focusing entirely on his passion, he left behind a legacy that continues to inspire fashion enthusiasts and photographers alike.
If you’d like to truly understand the magical mechanics of his brain, pick up his autobiography Fashion Climbing or watch the documentary Bill Cunningham: New York. The wonder never left him and he left the world with many photographs to ponder, admire, and take note of. If we exist, so does fashion. May the simple act of taking a photograph never vanish and those who are eccentric always be cherished.
Article by Seana Watson, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Bradley Duley, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine
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