John French Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

John French was born on 1 March 1907 in Edmonton, near London. He initially worked as a director of photography in an advertising studio shortly before the Second World War, during which he served as an officer in the Grenadier Guards. Read the full biography

John French was born on 1 March 1907 in Edmonton, near London. He initially worked as a director of photography in an advertising studio shortly before the Second World War, during which he served as an officer in the Grenadier Guards. In 1948 he founded his own photographic studio from which some of the most important figures in English fashion photography emerged, including Bailey, Donovan and Dormer. Working for the Daily Express, he pioneered a new form of fashion photography suitable for newspaper reproduction, based on natural light and low contrast. Through French's photography, fashion has freed itself from the static poses imposed by the clichés of the time dictated by Vogue or Harper's Bazaar, to focus on expressive freedom and the naturalness of the shots. French played with natural light to "paint" works of art. His images are characterized by a compositional search for perfection, with evident care and attention to details and the poses of the models within the structure. Through soft black and white, the English photographer has invented an innovative and fresh style that exploits natural light to create essential and structured lines that emphasize contrasts and chiaroscuro. In the 1960s, John French was the first photographer to photograph models onto which patterns were projected.