Thoroughly Modern: The pioneering life of Barbara Ker-Seymer, photographer, and her brilliant Bohemian friends

Barbara Ker-Seymer (1905-1993) was a pioneering photographer who rejected lucrative society portraits in favour of unfussy modern images.
Her work was widely admired by her peers, including Man Ray and Jean Cocteau.
She broke with convention as a studio portraitist and photojournalist, representing the aristocracy and Bright Young Things at play.
Her photographs are now known for whom they represent, rather than the face behind the camera, but her intelligence, sparkle, wit and genius enabled her to link arms with the surrealists, the Bloomsbury Group, the Bright Young Things and the worlds of theatre, cabaret and jazz.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2024
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Barbara Ker-Seymer, a pioneering photographer, lived a vibrant and unconventional life during the 1920s and 1930s. Her captivating personality and commitment to independence made her a trailblazer in the art world. Ker-Seymer's photographs, which often depicted the hedonistic and modern aspects of society, were praised by critics and admired by her peers, including Man Ray and Jean Cocteau. She broke with convention by rejecting lucrative society portraits in favor of unfussy modern images and by becoming a gossip-column photojournalist for Harper's Bazaar. Ker-Seymer's photographs are now recognized for the individuals they portray rather than just the faces behind them. Her work defined a talented, forward-looking network of artists, dancers, writers, actors, and musicians, and her studio on Bond Street became a hub for creativity. Among her sitters were Evelyn Waugh, Margot Fonteyn, Cyril Connolly, Jean Cocteau, and Vita Sackville-West. Despite her success, Ker-Seymer disdained lucrative society portraits in favor of unfussy modern images. Her work was widely admired by her peers, among them, Man Ray and Jean Cocteau. Her images as a gossip-column photojournalist for Harper's Bazaar were the go-to representations of the aristocracy and Bright Young Things at play. Yet as both a studio portraitist and a photojournalist, she broke with convention. Today, Ker-Seymer's photographs are known for whom they represent, rather than the face behind the lens.

Weight: 278g
Dimension: 126 x 197 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780349011493