Thread by @dean_frey

Remembering Philippe Halsman on his birthday 🎂
📷 Yale Joel
"Every face I see seems to hide and sometimes, fleetingly, to reveal the mystery of another human being... Capturing this revelation became the goal and passion of my life."

I never knew about this film: Joshua Sinclair's Jump, released in 2007. Ben Silverstone plays a young Philippe Halsman, framed for his father's murder in 1928 Austria. Based on a true story. After a pardon Halsman made his way to Paris in 1930.
Cute title!

The Old Equipment is Still the Best
Philippe & Yvonne Halsman's 1978 New Year's Card
Yvonne Halsman worked alongside Philippe for much of his career, often documenting his methods with photographs of her own. Keep that in mind during this thread, which will likely be long! 🧵📷

Here's a good example: this shot of an acrobatic Philippe Halsman was taken in 1954, when his #jump! photographs were beginning to be famous. Often described as a self-portrait, this shot was likely framed & clicked by Yvonne.

Here's the shot that started it all, from 1951. At the end of a boring photoshoot for the 50th anniversary of Ford, Philippe Halsman had the nerve to ask Mrs. Henry Ford II to #jump! It became a standard part of his portrait process.

Philippe Halsman had always been fascinated by jumping. Here's Merce Cunningham levitating for Martha Graham, from 1948
#jump!

I've tweeted a lot of Philippe Halsman's #jump! shots over the years. I won't do that all again today, but I'll include my favourites in this thread. If you want to see more, try this search:
twitter.com/search?q=%23ju…
Here's Phil Silvers from 1955

"A closer scrutiny will show that every element in the jumper’s body – his arms, his legs, the position of the body, the expression of the face – reveals definite character traits."
- Philippe Halsman
The inner Walter Gropius is exposed in this #jump shot, from 1958

Ed Sullivan's @NYTimes October 1974 obituary said "He was not witty, he had no formal talents, he could not consciously entertain anyone."
But Philippe Halsman's #jump shot exposed his inner entertainer. He's almost effervescent! And good separation, there, Ed.

"Jumping humanity can be divided into two categories: one which tries to jump as high as possible and one which doesn’t care."
- Philippe Halsman
It's one thing to have a dancer make a big leap, but here's one that really impresses me: François Mauriac, 1959
#jump!

In 1958 Van Cliburn refused to #jump! for Philippe Halsman. When asked why, he put his arms behind his back, lifted his chin, and said, "There is no need for explanations". At that moment Halsman took this picture.
Philippe gets the last laugh.

Gene Kelly & Fred Astaire play it cool for Philippe Halsman's #Jump! series.
Part of the fun of these shots is to see earth-bound people in the air. This one shows the incredible strength & control of these great, athletic, dancers.

Jackie Gleason by Philippe Halsman, 1955
#Jump!
He's lighter than air

Randall Jarrell by Philippe Halsman, 1958
As far as I know, he's the only poet in the #jump! series.

My own gray Daemon pauses on the stair,
My own bald Fortune lifts me by the hair.

And here is what may be the only Canadian in the #jump! series.
Gisele Mackenzie by Philippe Halsman, 1957
Jumping in the Great White North 🇨🇦

After Philippe Halsman's death in 1979, various photographers continued the #jump! tradition, I imagine for all the same reasons. Here's John Gielgud by John Swannell, from 1991.

I even came across a precursor to Philippe Halsman's #jump series: Cecil Beaton's wonderful shot of Truman Capote in Morocco, 1949

As entertaining as Philippe Halsman's #jump shots are, they're really only a sideline in his career. There are many great, great portraits of a more conventional nature.
Here's a classic Hollywood portrait of Sharon Tate, from 1966.

And an even more impressive Philippe Halsman portrait of Sharon Tate from the same year. This has the gloss of fashion photography, but with the dynamism of his #jump shots.

Albert Einstein by Philippe Halsman
Princeton, 1947
Einstein was a family friend who arranged for an emergency visa for Halsman to flee Marseille for New York during the war.

Time magazine used the 1947 Philippe Halsman portrait of Albert Einstein as the "Person of the Century" on the cover of its December 31, 1999 issue.

Zsa Zsa Gabor by Philippe Halsman, 1959
He might have made a great street photographer.
"In my mind, she is one with the unicorn, all shining white & gold, forever swift & lovely, immortal because fabulous. It is a simple belief, & harms no one."
- Dorothy Parker

Tallulah Bankhead by Philippe Halsman, 1950
"If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."

Jules Feiffer by Philippe Halsman, 1963
Everyone suffers for their art.

Tippi Hedren by Philippe Halsman, 1962
Outstanding art direction on this shot; look at the bird-like shape of the dark cloud. I'm not sure who in Halsman's studio did this sort of work.
And, of course, Tippi is a superb model.

Alfred Hitchcock by Philippe Halsman, 1962
The two tricksters had a close relationship over the years.

Tippi Hedren & Alfred Hitchcock by Philippe Halsman, 1962
A great photo & The Birds was a great film, but a real-life horror story for Hedren.

Coffee with Alfred Hitchcock ☕️
📷 Philippe Halsman, Bel Air, 1974

A great kitchen shot by Philippe Halsman from 1974. I suspect the Magnum caption is by Halsman himself:
"Alfred Hitchcock with his wife Alma."

In 1962 Philippe Halsman took a series of photographs of Alfred Hitchcock & François Truffaut. I love looking at all of these shots included in the classic book Hitchcock/Truffaut.

Hitchcock & Truffaut by Philippe Halsman, 1962

Philippe Halsman was a master from his earliest days. His shot of George Hoyningen-Huene photographing Rita Hayworth, made in 1943, is like a Mannerist painting.

Philippe Halsman's wonderful portrait of Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr. & Harry Belafonte, from 1966

Capucine by Philippe Halsman, 1960
@HFJMuseum
A bit of a 1930s style surrealist photography vibe here.

An undated New Year's card from Philippe & Yvonne Halsman. Look at all the Life magazine covers he took! This in spite of the fact that he wasn't under contract to the magazine.

Georgia O'Keeffe by Philippe Halsman, 1967
Outstanding!

Grace Kelly by Philippe Halsman, February 9, 1955
She wore this dress when she won her Oscar for The Country Girl.
One of the great all-rounders of photography, Halsman excelled in every genre. His fashion shots are wonderful.

... and Philippe Halsman's #jump shot of Grace Kelly, from 1959, is outstanding.

Pablo Picasso & Marc Chagall by Philippe Halsman, 1955
The great portrait photographers have one thing in common: the ability to put their subjects at ease. For Halsman this was much more than just getting them to jump.

Johnny Carson by Philippe Halsman, 1966
Though Halsman worked mainly in black & white, he had a great feel for colour.

Groucho by Philippe Halsman, 1952
Halsman would often get serious with his especially funny subjects.

Sid Caesar by Philippe Halsman, 1950
Halsman masters the Gjon Mili-style strobe portrait, in one shot.

Kitty Carlisle by Philippe Halsman, 1958
Even in his well-established #jump! genre, Halsman is always on the lookout for an Henri Cartier-Bresson-style "decisive moment".
Naturally, the cat refused to jump

Weegee by Philippe Halsman, 1945
And Weegee returns the favour in a nice portrait of Halsman.
Two photographers who fooled around a lot could get serious when they wanted to.