Photojournalism and advertising grew up together in the pages of newspapers and popular picture, news, travel and fashion magazines such as "Look," "Life," "The Saturday Evening Post, and "Harper's Bazaar." The goals of photojournalism and advertising may have differed, but the method was the same: to convey a message through the photography. Getting the photograph in print, cheaply and quickly, and of reasonable quality is largely due to Frederick Ives's (1856-1937) improvements on the half-tone process. The half-tone made photographic images in magazines and newspapers possible.

Most historians agree that after the half-tone revolution, color was the next great leap. Advertisers were among the first to use color photographs on the printed page. As Condé Nast's 1935 publication, "Color Sells," suggested, "Color displays the product and the package, color is drama, and color opens the pocketbook."

The name of Richard Avedon (1923-) has become synonymous with fashion photography, a medium he helped elevate to an art form. Avedon's imaginative and original camera work revolutionized the industry of fashion and modeling. To a certain degree, Avedon forsook the traditional studio mannequin look in favor of real life settings and animated, vivacious looking models. His ability through his lens to bring out a model's character in addition to her beauty often put his "girls" at the top of their profession. "He's the most wonderful man in the business," said one associate, "because he realizes that models are not just coat hangers."

Link to non-Smithsonian Web site